


My Perfect Dystopia

by FeistyParadox



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Characters to be added, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationships to be added - Freeform, Resets, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2019-10-09 12:23:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17406845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeistyParadox/pseuds/FeistyParadox
Summary: It's been thousands, if not millions of resets since Frisk first fell. Countless times did they save everyone, countless times did they kill everyone. Countless times did they give Asriel a second chance and countless times did they condemn him back into his own little hell, taking away everything he build for himself. Nothing was permanent and every day could yet again mark another beginning of the same old journey. In one last, desperate attempt to take back the life he was never meant to live, Asriel starts to take matters into his own hands. He would find his happy life, he would find permanence, he would find a way to stop the resets. Even if it meant sacrifice, even if it meant rewriting the universe.





	1. A Normal Day

Asriel was waiting in front of the bathroom, impatiently tapping his feet on the ground. Last night, much like many before, was filled with a myriad of nightmares which put a real damper on his mood. As per usual, Frisk occupied the bathroom and it seemed they would stay there until the day the cows come home. Unfortunately school would start in about an hour and Asriel still had to take a shower. Sure, he could get out of bed earlier but that would mean he had to get up at 4:00 in the morning and everybody knows that students, regardless of their age, don’t like to get up early. 

“For crying out loud! Stop hogging the bathroom and get a move on already. You’ve been in there for two hours! TWO HOURS!” Asriel shouted angrily as he rapidly banged at the bathroom door, exasperated from all that waiting. 

“No shouting in the house,” Toriel called, reminding her son to keep his voice down.

The caprine teen simply groaned in annoyance as he leaned against the wall, continuing to wait for the bathroom door to open. How could one person spend this long in the bathroom? Just what was Frisk doing in there? Did he even want to know? Probably not. Asriel was fed up with Frisk and their reset shenanigans. They could be lying unconscious in the bathtub for all he cared. On the other hand, he still had to take a shower. If Frisk felt like drowning themselves, he’d appreciated it if they did so somewhere else.

Finally, after waiting for an agonizingly long time, the wooden door opened and the human Asriel grew to loathe stepped outside. The vexed goat simply pushed them aside and entered the bath, completely disregarding that he could’ve pushed Frisk down the stairs. Not that it would really matter in the long run. At this point another reset would be nothing more than a drop in the ocean. 

Seeing that time was running scarce, Asriel hastily stripped out of his clothes and tossed them inside the bin full of dirty laundry, before finally being able to step under the shower. This was the moment he waited for the entire morning, a nice, warm shower to help him relax before yet another dreadful day of middle school. But it seemed as if he cheered too soon. The water was already running and his fur drenched when he realized that Frisk used up pretty much all the shampoo. They didn’t even have the decency to replace the empty bottle with a full one. He seriously wanted to wring their neck right now, even more than usual.

A freezing cold embrace wrapped itself around Asriel as he stepped out of the shower, shivering from the sudden change in temperature. He began digging through the small cabinet filled to the brim with deodorants, shampoos, conditioner and other products. Most people would complain about the sheer volume of stuff inside the cabinet, but Asriel was in no position to do so considering he used most of the products in there.

After a few minutes of searching, which mostly consisted of tossing everything that wasn’t what he needed behind him, Asriel finally found what he was looking for. Flower fields, a MTT brand shampoo for normal hair and fur. A flowery scented shampoo, who would’ve guessed, that is guaranteed to make ones fur as soft as velvet. Sure, it wasn’t really marketed towards Asriel, or males in general, but he liked the flowery scent more than the likes of power surge or lush temptation. Besides, he preferred his fur to be soft and velvety, something no other shampoo ever really accomplished. Everyone loves soft fur after all, and it made him believe it would be easier to find his special someone if he had soft fur.

With a new bottle of shampoo in hand he jumped back under the shower, continuing where he left off. About fifteen minutes later and Asriel was almost ready for school, even though he still felt rather agitated. Sure, it might be Friday but that only meant he’d get to spent the weekend at home, which he would rather avoid. Saying that his relationship with Frisk was bad would be the mother of all understatements, and of course it also affected his relationship with his mother, further complicating things. He tried to explain everything, why he detested Frisk, the reasons behind his frequent nightmares and all of his other issues but Toriel’s reception was rather cold. She didn’t believe him, not a single word, always saying he was overreacting or blaming his vivid imagination. While this wasn’t the first timeline something like this happened, it was certainly among the worst.

“Asriel, come downstairs. Breakfast is ready,” Toriel called from downstairs, stressing her already stressed out son even more. If things keep going like this he might just explode and destroy the entire universe in the process, which was probably among the more favorable outcomes.

“I just got out of the shower, mom!” Asriel ripped the door open and shouted downstairs in annoyance.

“Don’t you dare raise your voice against me like that, young man,” his mother replied, her voice stern and threatening. She didn’t want to raise her voice against her son like that but his recent change in behavior left her no other choice but to be a bit more disciplinatory. Asriel changed after his return, he changed in ways she looked at with great concern. 

The prince in ivory fur simply rolled his eyes as he dried himself off using his fire magic. Using a towel to dry his fur would take ages and so would using a blow dryer. Fire magic was much more effective in that regard, though it can also singe his fur if he isn’t careful or set the house on fire. Once dry, he began to put on the clothes he fished out of his closet. Some random pair of boxers that no one was going to see anyway (hopefully), navy blue jeans and that royal purple hoodie with the family crest on the back that he likes wearing so much. It allowed him to just lock out the world and hide whenever he felt like it, which was pretty much all the time. It might be April and temperatures are going up by the day but that never really stopped him.

Dressed for the day Asriel moved downstairs and was immediately greeted by his mother pointing towards the dinner table with an impatient expression. A plate of fresh pancakes was placed on the dinner table with Frisk already working hard on reducing them to nothingness. Even though he didn’t really feel hungry at all, Asriel still decided to sit down to at least try and eat something before another painfully boring day of school. He stopped paying attention many resets ago. Why bother learning if the world will just reset regardless of what he may or may not do.

Breakfast went on and Asriel looked at the pancake he was currently stabbing with a rather dejected expression. As much as he loved his mother’s cooking, he simply couldn’t enjoy it anymore. It went so far that he’d rather eat the food of questionable quality sold at the local gas station. Frisk on the other hand, simply shoveled down the food they’ve been served and it made Asriel sick. How could they live so free of guilt even though they are part of the reason Asriel is the way he is now? Asriel wasn’t innocent, those frequent nightmares were a constant reminder, but Frisk lived as if they never hurt anyone. 

After thoroughly stabbing his pancake for at least 37 times, which made sure the pancake was indeed dead, Asriel left the kitchen, picked up his stuff and departed for school. School wasn’t half bad. In fact, there were only two reasons why he hated school. First was Frisk, though he hated them in general so this one’s debatable. After all those resets he simply couldn’t look at them anymore without unimaginable fury flaring up within him. Second were all those pointless things they taught at school. Why teach students about their rights, how to do their taxes or how to purchase a house if you might as well teach them about some random shmuck that used to draw fancy pictures over two hundred years ago? 

Toriel simply watched as her children left for school, her expression filled with worry and concern. It’s been four years since monsters returned to the surface, four years in which she successfully fought for monster rights and four years in which Asriel acted completely different from how she remembered. That sweet, loving and innocent child that he used to be was seemingly gone. Instead she got a vindictive and constantly annoyed child that would rather spend his days locked away in his room. 

For reasons she couldn’t comprehend Asriel hated his sibling, accusing them of things that made absolutely no sense to her. Her mind would’ve been at ease if it was just siblings fighting, it was the most normal thing in the world, but it was far from that. Asriel’s voice alone made his hatred for Frisk very clear. And every time Toriel would argue with Asriel he’d claim that she simply did not understand him, that she even went as far as dismissing all of his fears and worries. All that was left for her was to blame puberty. It was a difficult time for both, parent and child, arguments between them were common. But it wasn’t the fact that Asriel argued with her that made Toriel worry, it was how Asriel looked like when he did. That twisted expression of anger and hatred, grief and despair that distorted his once innocent face, it felt like someone was stabbing her heart every time she saw it. What she couldn’t see was what lied behind it. The expression of a child that simply gave up on ever being able to live a normal, happy life.

After a long time of thinking, Toriel wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes and made a decision. It was time that she owned up to the mistakes she made as a mother. Asriel was obviously in drastic need of help, help that she could not provide. All she could do now was to talk to her son and try to figure something out, hoping that he’d be reasonable.

Even though the day has only just started, Asriel already wanted to go straight back to bed, preferably one that wasn’t his own back home. It shouldn’t be too difficult for him to find a place to stay at. All he had to do was try to make friends at school, which currently was the equivalent of dividing by zero. This was one of those timelines where his social skills were rather lackluster. And there’s also the fact that he doesn’t really like most of his peers. Most of his classmates didn’t really care all that much for him, at least not anymore. There was a time where everyone was all over him but that stopped the second they realized Asriel wasn’t as cute and adorable he appeared to be. He may look cute and adorable on the outside but the personality he presented to those that tried to talk to him was nowhere near that. As a result, everyone that was interested in him at some point gave up on him. But in the end, his attitude was nothing more than a facade he put up to protect himself. He didn’t want someone that only loves him because of his looks and the fact he is a prince. He wanted something that was a bit more meaningful, something that would last for more than just one timeline, though the latter would be almost impossible to find.

Lost in thought, Asriel barely noticed he already arrived at the empty bus stop, Frisk following at a safe distance. The bus stop itself looked exactly how one would expect it. The panels were either shattered or smeared with graffiti and trash was pretty much everywhere except inside the empty trash can. Seeing that the bus was nowhere to be seen yet, Asriel decided to sit down on the metal bench, reflecting on what his formerly simple life has become. He once was full of hope, looking to live a peaceful live with someone by his side. And at first it looked just like that. After Frisk saved him, they ended up as great friends. Maybe, at some point in time, there even might have been romantic feelings involved. But now he cringed whenever he thought about loving Frisk. They ruined simply too many relationships, the ones they and Asriel had included. Even if they were on their knees, begging for forgiveness, he would not forgive them, he could not forgive them.

Ever since Asriel moved on from Frisk, trying to find love somewhere else, Frisk would ruin everything again by resetting once more at some point or another. If Asriel took all the people and monsters he fell in love with and dated, then added them all up, he’d have enough people to found a kingdom to rule over. But finding love wasn’t his only concern. After every single reset he had to go through hell over and over again, reliving the same nightmares that haunt him to this very day. Frisk and their resets were the reason Asriel is the way he is now. A child that had everything taken away from him over and over again. A child who never had the chance to live a normal life. His fears of yet another reset that would take everything away kept him up at night, and those nightmares he suffered from robbed him of what little sleep he got in. His mental wellbeing was degrading constantly, so much that it would only be a matter of time until he looses what little is holding him back.

But all of his fears and worries weren’t the only things that put an unimaginable strain on him. Every time Frisk saved him after a reset, he had to go through puberty again which made everything even more difficult than it already was. On the bright side, after thousands of them the jaded prince learned to roughly predict how he’d look like after, which usually ranged anywhere from ‘I can’t believe you’re not a girl’ to ‘if Adonis was a goat monster’. For this timeline he gravitated towards the former. And that meant that he’d get all sorts of attention, probably once he’s around 16/17 years old. He only hoped that he’d end up in a relationship with someone before that. While he didn’t really care what species or sex his future significant other was, he hoped that they wouldn’t want to start a family. Adopting a child was fine, making one wasn’t. That doesn’t mean he’s against intimate actions of deep affection. It was just that, having a biological offspring meant Asriel would age after his parents bite the dust and that in turn meant he’d die of old age sooner or later, another thing he was terribly scared of. He was afraid of dying, afraid he might turn back into Flowey after he kicks the bucket and that left him with two, maybe three options. Find a monster girlfriend and hope she doesn’t want a family, find a human girlfriend and hope humans and monsters can’t have children together or play it safe and find a boyfriend of either species.

Several minutes passed and the familiar sound of an engine in desperate need of maintenance grew ever louder, signaling the arrival of the school bus. This was the first stop on the list and the siblings at enmity were the only ones using it. Asriel was quite thankful for that, it allowed him to nab a seat near the doors so he could make a quick disappearance once he arrived at his destination. Frisk on the other hand, preferred the seats at the back. The ones that, for some inexplicit reason, were the most popular ones. Once the duo was on board, the doors closed again and the bus moved forward.

With the ride to school underway, Asriel decided to use this small window of time to mentally prepare himself for the day. So he put on his earphones and set the playlist on his mobile to shuffle. With music drowning out the noise of the empty ride, he finally had a chance to zone out while the passing surroundings changed from suburban to a more urban scenery. While Asriel was lost in his own little world the bus began to fill with more and more students. And with more students came more noise, which soon enough overshadowed the caprine’s music. The once quiet bus ride involuntarily turned into a competition where students tried to let as many people know what their plans for the weekend were, even though nobody really cared. But that’s just the way things were.

The bus came to one final halt and opened it’s doors for one last time. Final destination: Hell, commonly referred to as school. It was Asriel’s last year in middle school and summer break would begin in just three months. Then he’d move on to the even more dreadful high school. Which only meant more stress, more hours of precious lifetime wasted and even more idiots to meet. But it also gave him an opportunity. If he failed to find love in middle school, which was the most likely outcome, he’d get another shot at it in high school. 

Asriel took off his earphones, stopped the music and got off the bus, ready to waste yet another 6 to 7 hours of his precious lifetime, or rather time until the next reset. Along with him, students flooded out of the bus and into the schoolyard, where they lumped together into their respective groups. With the hustle and bustle going on, as well as the occasional screams of bloody murder, the prince decided it’s probably best to move on to the classroom where things were hopefully more quiet. Turns out, Asriel wasn’t the only one in the classroom. About five or six students already took their seats, copying their undone homework of the one kid that actually did them. Why do homework yourself if you can let others do it for you? Most would call it lazy, they call it business. One kid does the homework so all the others can copy it. In return they wouldn’t steal his lunch money. Not that Asriel would ever have to deal with something like that, he always did his homework and the one kid that tried to extort money from him disappeared soon after. His dad got a job in a different city, so he had change schools.

Over the next few minutes the classroom began to fill with a vastly different cast of students. Humans and monsters from all walks of life took their respective seats and waited for their tormentor, also referred to as teacher, to arrive. Of course some students were running late, while others students didn’t bother to show up at all. Much unlike the teacher, an overly strict middle aged man who had as much sense for humor as he had for fashion, who always arrived with the ringing of the bell. Socks and sandals, cargo shorts and a sweater so unspeakably hideous some consider it a crime against humanity. Who runs around like that, why is nobody stopping him? What’s even more baffling than his fashion choices was the fact that he was married.

Class began with a review of today’s homework. To no ones surprise results were the exact same across most students, they even made the exact same mistakes. Seeing that almost everybody copied their homework of the same guy, homework review passed rather quickly, but of course there was a lecture as to why students shouldn’t copy their homework of each other. Because a stern lecture will definitely change the minds of a bunch of pubescent students. The actual lesson began and, at some point during class, the students that tend to arrive late decided to show. They too received a stern scolding as well as a hefty amount of extra homework, much to their avoidable displeasure. It was a rather bold assumption that those students would actually bother doing their homework. 

And so classes dragged on and on and on, until the bell finally rang again, ending the first period. Only a few more to go until recess and then some more until the end of the day and at least 4160 until he’s done with both, middle school and high school. But then there was college or university, maybe even trade school or something entirely else. Was that really necessary though? Asriel was the prince of monsters. He still had access to the royal treasury, which had enough gold in it to allow a leisure life until doomsday, whenever that might be. And then there was the tax income from the underground and the fact that, for whatever reason, his family, gets paid simply for being royalty. Asriel didn’t need education, especially after all those resets, and he definitely didn’t need a job. All he needed was someone to settle down with and he’d be happy.

One eternity later and the bell finally heralded the beginning of recess and Asriel immediately looked for a quiet corner to sit at. Frisk wouldn’t be a bother during recess. They were usually swarmed by half the schools population. Unfortunately that also meant that a few lost souls would ask Asriel where to find them, some even thought it would be a good idea to talk about them. It wasn’t, it was a seriously terrible idea in fact. Asriel had to pretend he actually cared for Frisk, otherwise an entirely new chapter of drama would open up in his life. He made that experience in several timelines before and it was crazy to see just how interested people get in your life when they find out you don’t get along with your human sibling, who’s also just so happens to be the ambassador of monsters. It even made international news, which made everything even more ridiculous. Are peoples lives really that sad and boring that they need to slobber over the life of other people who only wish to live their life in peace?

Once he was out of the classroom, the prince managed to find a calm place where he could relax, even if just for a moment. A small patch of greenery that most students never really bothered with. It was almost like a small, green, oasis of tranquility, somewhere in the middle of the wild, concrete desert that was the schoolyard. The vividly colored flowers there beamed with life, as if however takes care of them does so with a lot of love. They reminded him of his father, the gentle giant with a passion for gardening. 

Asgore’s trial has been going on for roughly as long as monsters roamed the surface again and things were looking grim. He pleaded guilty to everything, he confessed to all of his crimes and said he’d even accept capital punishment, but things weren’t that easy. The families of the killed children were contacted and a case was made. News quickly picked up on it and anti-monster organizations used the tragedy to further push their ideas. Nobody cared how Asgore lost everyone that ever meant something to him in just a few days. How he was consumed by sorrow and how it turned into anger. That he wanted to give his people the hope they so desperately needed. He broke out in tears of sorrow and regret but ultimately accepted that he wouldn’t be forgiven, much like how he couldn’t forgive himself. It’s been years since Asriel had the chance to spent some time with his father in a way normal children would, and it certainly had an effect on him.

A disheartened sigh escaped the caprine and his faux happy expression crumbled away as he pulled out his lunch. A simple sandwich with everything that made a sandwich a sandwich. But with all those things that were going through his head he simply could not enjoy it. His entire life was in shambles. With all his fears, worries and other problems there simply wasn’t anything he could enjoy anymore, not without fearing that all of it might be gone the next time he opens his eyes. A little bit of stability, that was all he truly wanted. Being able to go to bed knowing that tomorrow will be a new day and not just the same crap he has gone through a bazillion times. Asriel simply stared at the ground, occasionally taking another bite from his lunch. A normal, happy life with someone by his side, that was all he really asked for.

Just as Asriel finished his little snack, the bell rang and classes would resume soon after. They were as boring as expected, with nothing of value being added. It was just more and more stuff that everyone says students will be using every day. Unsurprisingly most teachers turned rather hostile when students asked when they’d get to apply what they’ve been taught in real life, probably because no one had a convincing answer. The most common answer was that all of it was necessary for college and future jobs, because studying for some degree is all life’s really about. Fortunately it was only three more months until summer break. But that also meant Asriel would have to spent some quality time with his family, unless he somehow manages to find a friend that’s willing to put with him for two and a half months. And he knew that prove to be rather difficult, seeing that his current number of friends comes in at a total of 0. 

As the day continued, time seemed to pass slower and slower. So much so that it almost appeared to stop entirely. The young prince was pretty sure it’s been 1:45 PM for at least five minutes now. Is this the effect they call chronostasis or is this just the ongoing degradation of space-time caused by those constant resets that will ultimately result in the collapse of the universe? Maybe the clock just ran out of batteries. Either way, time was running really slow but eventually school did end and the students were finally dismissed.

With school finally being over, Asriel could finally do something that’s fun once he arrives back home, like locking himself in his room and playing video games all day. This was the last day before the release of that new game he’s bee looking forward. He even went so far and committed the mortal and most shameful sin of gaming. Pre-ordering. First thing he’d do when he wakes up tomorrow was taking the bus downtown so he could pick it up at the shop. That is under the assumption that there will be a tomorrow. 

The bus ride home was as boring as always. Students continued talking, or rather yelling, about their plans for the weekend while others were talking about upcoming exams. And then there were those students dumb enough to flirt with Frisk. Asriel could only scoff at them. If they only knew just what kind of person Frisk was, if the world knew who Frisk was, maybe then people could finally begin to fathom just how Asriel felt. But no, Frisk was hailed as the great hero who broke the barrier, which was complete BS. They didn’t break the barrier, Asriel did. But who cares about the monster child who lost all hope that maybe someday, he’ll be able to live a somewhat normal life. Who’s willing to listen to all of his fears and worries? His father was, but he was in jail where he was treated as the worst thing that ever set foot on the planet. 

After a short drive Asriel was almost home again, though he rarely ever called it like that. Home is where the heart is, and Asriel’s heart certainly was somewhere else. He didn’t know where exactly it was, but it certainly wasn’t where he currently lived. In just a few more years he could finally move out, if he finds a vacant home or someone to move in with. That does not mean he doesn’t care about his mother, it was just that everything was simply becoming too much for him. 

“We’re back,” Asriel called out impassively as he opened the door, casually tossing his school bag aside. Judging by the smell in the air, Toriel was busy making lunch.

“Welcome home, children” Toriel greeted her children with a motherly smile. “You’re just in time. I just finished making lunch.”

Frisk seemed especially eager to eat and quickly stormed into the kitchen, where food was already waiting for them. Asriel’s reaction was much more modest. He simply strolled into the kitchen and took the seat furthest away from his loathed sibling, and began to carefully eye today’s lunch. Spaghetti in Bolognese sauce, nothing too special. 

While Frisk was already stuffing themselves, Asriel looked like he wasn’t hungry at all, which was true. His appetite seemed to be on vacation lately, which only served to amplify his mother’s worries. She knew that something wasn’t quite right with Asriel and if she didn’t figure something out real quick things might take a turn for the worst. She knew she wouldn’t be able stomach loosing her son again.

Asriel simply sat at the dinner table with a passive expression, head resting on one hand while the other poking his plate, pushing spaghetti from one side to the other and back again. It was pointless. He wasn’t hungry and wasting his time playing with his food wouldn’t get him anywhere either.

“I’m not hungry,” Asriel sighed in boredom as he put down his fork. “If anyone needs me, I’m in my room.”

Toriel sat there in silence as she watched her son walk out of the kitchen, all the while thinking whether she failed as a mother or not. The mere notion that she might be partly at fault for how Asriel turned out was slowly killing her from the inside every time she thought about it. Paired with her current helplessness it made her feel as if she should have never been a mother in the first place.

Once Asriel arrived in his room and closed the door, he made sure to change into something that was a little more comfortable to wear. There wasn’t anything for him to do, no chores to complete, no friends to hang out with, so he decided to just boot up his PC to kill some time. There were still a few games he hasn’t finished yet, and this might be as good a time as any to change that. So he started one of his many games and picked up where he left off, somewhere in the middle of a snow field or something similar. It took him a few minutes, as well as a few in-game deaths, until he was comfortable with the controls again but from there on, he continued where he left off. Utilizing the various shortcuts he unlocked he quickly managed to make it past the desolate looking village and into the larger, important looking structure. From there he pushed on until he reached some sort of infested cellar, filled to the brim with annoying, though weak enemies. A death or two later and he finally found what he was looking for. Some sort of crank that opened something somewhere. Back out the new exit and he found himself right back where he started. Some church like building with a totally not suspicious statute that totally does not hide something now moved aside. It was rather obvious the boss was downstairs, so the prince utilized the nearby checkpoint to heal up, level up and change up his equipment. Then he proceeded to the boss. Little did he knew that he’d very soon regret his decision.

Once he set foot into the large chamber hidden underneath, the cutscene played out and Asriel feared for the worst. Some big looking guy with a huge, golden bowl. But he was wrong. Instead he had to fight the NPC that greeted him when he first reached the place, asked him to leave and even gave him a ring to boost one of his resistances. The battle began and, before he even realized it, Asriel got his ass handed to him. So he tried again and again and again, determined to defeat the boss. And after several attempts, he did it. He landed the final blow and the boss dropped dead, a short cutscene following only shortly after. There was no victory celebration, no reward, no happiness. Instead, there was only more pain and suffering. The boss had a second phase and it turns out, Asriel was right all along. The big guy with the bowl was a boss, or rather part of it. Now he had to fight a crazy old man and some fast, scythe wielding hag. Needless to say, he died numerous times. But eventually he managed to overcome even that challenge. He threw his hands in the air as he landed the final blow, again, watching in joy as boss dropped dead on the floor. But one thing bothered him. Where was the message that basically said ‘hooray, you did it. Now go to the next area and do it again’? And then he realized in horror that there was a third phase. Seeing that he was all out of healing items, he simply let the boss kill him. Was he seriously supposed to beat the same boss three times in a row, with what little healing items he had? Who came up with that idea and why did no one fire them? But complaing wasn't going to help him, so he took a deep breath and tried again.

“Asriel, can I talk to you for a moment?” Asriel completely overhead the knock on his door and flinched slightly when the door to his room opened. Toriel was peaking inside with a worried expression.

“I’m pretty busy right now, mom. Can you wait for a minute or two?” the prince replied hastily, his focus entirely on the game.

“Can’t you just pause the game?” his mother insisted, displeased by how much time Asriel wasted with video games.

“No, I can’t. This game doesn’t have a pause function,” Asriel grew a little agitated by his mothers insistent distraction, grunting as he narrowly managed to dodge the incoming attacks. Why can’t mothers just say ‘alright’ when asked to wait for a minute or two?

Toriel simply shook her head and sighed at Asriel’s stubbornness, her expression a mixture of anger and worry. “Just what would your father think if he saw you wasting your life away playing video games?”

The controller Asriel was holding not a second ago dropped on his desk with an audible thump, the character in game dying only seconds after. It seemed as if Toriel struck a nerve better left untouched.

“Don’t act like you care about dad,” Asriel growled back at his mother, hurt by the fact she’d bring up his father like that. Tears were starting to bead in his eyes as he could feel his SOUL twist in agony. He refused to turn around to face his mother. She didn’t deserve being looked at, not after stooping this low.

“Your father is a terrible man. He deserves to be jail for everything he has done!” enraged by her son’s words Toriel began yelling, loosing every sense of rationality in the process.

Asriel knew of his father’s crimes and all the family’s he tore apart. He agreed that his father should be brought to justice, but was it really justice if yet another family would be ripped asunder or was it more of an eye for an eye thing? And Toriel was no saint either, but she got off scot-free. She might not be directly responsible for the deaths of six children, but her actions weight just as heavy.

“And you should be rotting there with him! You just ran away when dad needed you the most. You kept children locked away in the ruins and even attacked them when they tried to leave!” Asriel instantly turned towards his mother as he snapped at her. Tears began to freely drop from his face in a downpour, his expression contorted by wrath and sorrow. “You could have stopped everything from turning out the way it did if you had just stayed there with him. But you didn’t. You just ran away like the coward that you are! You’re just as much of a murderer as dad is.”

Hearing those words from her own flesh and blood struck her deeper than any blade ever could. She couldn’t bear it and ran away without even noticing. And even worse, she realized that Asriel was right about everything he said. She was a coward that would simply run away from her problems. But there was no saving it now. She had the blood of six innocent children on her hands and it would never wash off. With that realization, she broke out in tears, accepting that she failed as a queen, a wife and on top of all, as a mother. 

Asriel slammed the door to his room shut and dropped face first onto his bed, crying into his pillow. He simply didn’t know how to feel and who to blame. Frisk, they were at fault with all those resets but before that was someone entirely else, Asriel himself. He couldn’t help but partly blame himself for the situation he was in. Had he just been a little more critical of Chara nothing of this would have happened, or at least not to this extend. Maybe he wouldn’t even remember resets if he had never died on that day, if he had simply betrayed Chara or never trusted their plan in the first place. It is as they say, hindsight is 20/20. If there was only a way to correct the past, there had to be one. But it was too late to think about that. By the time Asriel somewhat composed himself, the sun had long dipped below the horizon. Feeling rather drained from today’s events, both physically and mentally, Asriel decided to go bed, hoping that tomorrow will be a new, better day.


	2. Encounters

Darkness, darkness was all that filled the room, save for what little light all of Asriel’s electronics on stand-by emitted. It had been yet another sleepless night filled with nightmares for the prince, who was currently tossing and turning in hopes of finding that one sweet spot of ultimate comfort. But it was useless. The sun had already begun rising and the light that entered the room through the cracks of his blinds burned away the darkness. And along with it, all hopes of a good night’s evaporated. On the bright side, at least this was a new day. And that meant Asriel could go pick up the game he was so excited about.

With his eyes burning and bones heavy with sleep, Asriel rolled out of bed, only to drop on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Curse those nightmares and their ability to deprive him of his much needed sleep.

The caprine mobilized what little energy he had left in his tired body to pull himself off the ground and began to elegantly stumble through the still rather dark room. He knew the general direction to his wardrobe but seeing that his brain was still half asleep he couldn’t quite tell right from left. And so he stumbled on through the darkness, all the while scanning his surroundings with his hands. Then it clicked and light began to flood the room out of nowhere, light so bright it almost evaporated his retinas. In, what was pretty much an instinctual motion he raised his arms in front of his eyes and almost ended up punching himself in the face while doing so. He somehow found the light-switch, and now he regretted getting out of bed in the fist place. Asriel just stood there in his room, eyes burning like he got an entire bottle of shampoo poured into them. This was going to be a great day, he just knew it.

Minutes passed and Asriel stood there motionless while his eyes began to slowly adjust to the sudden influx of light. The world around him began to take shape again and he could finally see the wardrobe he was looking for. If he had only walked to the other side of the room, he would have bumped right into it. Now he had to drag himself across the laminate floor again, slow and steady. In his current state it wouldn’t be surprising if the tripped over his own feet and knocked himself unconscious. Sure, he’d get some sleep in but it wasn’t the kind of sleep he wanted. Much to his own surprise, he made it across the room without incident and without crawling back into his bed that looked so comfortable right now.

Asriel successfully reached his destination and was now presented with his first challenge. What clothes should he wear today? The selection was broad. Shirts, sweaters, hoodies, he had it all, even dresses for some bizarre reason. And what about the color? Green with yellow stripes? Or maybe he felt like wearing something daring and go for yellow with green stripes. And what about his jeans? Blue or rather a little less blue than blue? Maybe a smidgen more blue than blue? No, Asriel felt particularly brave today. He just reached into the closet and pulled out whatever his hands could grasp.

With his clothing problem solved, he only had one thing left to do and that was regaining a conscious state. If he were to go outside like this people might mistake him for a zombie on morphine, which wasn’t all that far away from the truth seeing that he was dead at some point in time. He figured that a cold shower could help him wake up. So he walked out of his room and towards the bath, all the while a delicious smell wafted into his nose from downstairs. Toriel was already up and preparing breakfast.

While Asriel’s hand was already pushing down the bathroom door’s handle, his brain continued to lag far behind. As a result, he failed to notice that the door didn’t open and how his face was now pressed against it. If someone were to open the door now, Asriel would pretty much just slump forwards and hit the floor face first.

“For fuck’s sake,” the sleepy prince grumbled underneath his breath in an agitated tone once his brain managed to process the situation. Someone was occupying the bathroom, and he was pretty sure who that someone was.

“Asriel, what are you doing?” a voice from behind him, THAT voice from behind, spoke. Asriel didn’t need to use his brain to know who was talking to him and his blood already shot way past it’s boiling point. But that also meant Frisk wasn’t in the bathroom. Asriel’s brain failed to comprehend the current situation and crashed in response, causing the goat to stand there with a very confused expression on his face. If Frisk was standing behind him and Toriel was downstairs, then who was in the bathroom?

Still trying to figure out the current situation, Asriel, without even noticing, began to shift more and more of his weight onto the hand that was pushing down the handle. Turns out that the bath wasn’t occupied, Asriel just failed to push the handle all the way down. The bathroom door flung open in an instant and the now even more confused prince stumbled into the empty bath, struggling to keep his balance with all of his sleep deprived might. But try as he might, in the end Asriel’s struggle’s were in vain and, after performing a beautiful pirouette, his butt met the ground rather forcefully, much to Frisk’s amusement. In response, they had a door slammed in their giggling face.

After following the same procedure as yesterday, Asriel got underneath the shower but this time he made sure to lower the water’s temperature. And he regretted it only seconds after. The moment the water touched him, he emitted a high pitched screech that could be heard all across the neighborhood. Each drop of water felt like a microscopic needle of ice piercing through him, and there were millions of them. He was out of the shower just as fast he entered it. On the bright side, at least he was wide awake now. He was freezing like crazy, but awake.

Now that he has achieved a conscious state again, Asriel noticed just what he pulled out of the closet. A picture he drew back when he was six, the closets construction manual and that fox onesie/pajama that disappeared not too long ago. He mentally face-palmed at what he pulled out. He couldn’t wear any of those things in public, maybe the onesie but definitely not a piece of paper. 

It wasn’t much, and he didn’t want to walk back to his room in all of his glory, so the pajama had to do for now. Asriel began to squeeze himself into the onesie and discovered that it still fit like a glove. He might have bought it not more than a year ago, but given that he’s going through puberty and the associated growth spurts right now, he though he might have grown out of it already. Then it dawned upon him. If the pajama still fit like it did on day one, does that mean he didn’t grow at all? Will he never grow above 5 ft. 10 in. and as such always be considered short? He was a little over 5 ft. in height right now which meant he was a tad bit shorter than his peers but that doesn’t mean anything, right?

Once inside the cozy piece of fabric, Asriel left the bathroom and moved back into his room. The lights were still burning and slowly, but surely racking up the electricity bill. Or they would have. As an offer of good will monsters connected the CORE to the city’s power grid, supplying their own districts, as well as many others, with electricity. Families living close to the foot of MT. Ebott, where homes where solely powered by the core, didn’t even need to pay electricity bills at all. They were covered by the Dreemurr’s. There were plenty of companies that were supplied by the CORE and part of the money they paid the Dreemurr’s was used to cover the electricity-bills of the local neighborhood.

Just five minutes of wearing his lost onesie made him remember just how comfy it was, and he would certainly wear it more often at home, maybe even when staying at a friends place. But he didn’t feel confident enough to wear it in public, so he decided to wear something that was a little more appropriate. Instead of over-complicating things, he decided to wear what, in essence, was what he wore yesterday. The only difference was that the hoodie he chose was black instead of purple. Once dressed for the day, Asriel pulled up the blinds, grabbed what he needed for the day and walked downstairs, where the smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee filled the air. As he expected, Toriel and Frisk were sitting by the table. Both of them had already finished eating and while Toriel was busy reading the news, sipping coffee, Frisk simply stared holes in the air. Bacon and eggs were placed on the table, though at this point it was more bacon than eggs. 

For once, Asriel was feeling rather peckish and as such, loaded his plate with bacon, eggs and a little more bacon. Without any further hesitation, he began to munch down on his breakfast. The bacon was crispy, almost too crispy, and the eggs could’ve used a little more seasoning but food is food. He wasn’t in the position to complain and continued eating in delightful indifference. All the while, Toriel could just watch in worry. She so desperately wanted to reach out to Asriel. She wanted to know what was on his mind all the time but her son felt more and more like a stranger. Desperate to find answers, Toriel wanted to ask questions, hundreds, thousands of them but her tangled thoughts almost caused her to choke on the words that never left her throat. And even if she could just speak up, she wasn’t sure if she wouldn’t just end up running away again. So she just sat there in silence with her head hung low in shame. And Frisk? They gave up on fixing things a long time ago. After all, these are the consequences of their actions, consequences they couldn’t fix by just resetting yet again.

“Well, I’m off to town,” Asriel spoke up once he finished his plate, breaking the concealing veil of heavy silence for a short moment.

Toriel perked up but looked away just as quick, responding with nothing more than a nod. Guilt began tearing through her body once she realized she couldn’t even look at Asriel anymore. How was she supposed to help him if she can’t even face him? She couldn’t even get a word out, the weight of guilt that rested on her was that heavy.

Now in the hallway, Asriel perform a quick double check on whether he had everything for today. Mobile, money, keys and most important of all, the receipt for the game he pre-ordered. Everything was there and that meant he was ready to go. He opened the front door, and was greeted to a sunny April morning. With each passing minute, the sun continued to conquer the azure sky, free of clouds. The temperature was just warm enough that he wouldn’t need a jacket and a balmy breeze danced though the air. It was a day where the world and everything around it felt alive. From the birds singing their songs to the flowers reaching for the sun. Nature was in full bloom, presenting it’s vivid colors to everyone that took the time to just pause and take in the world around them. But Asriel didn’t care about any of it. He just put on his headphones and pulled up the hood of his hoodie. Once again, the prince drowned out the world around him on his way across town.

The way to the bus station that would take him downtown lead him through the neighborhood, where humans and monsters lived hand in hand in almost perfect harmony. Neighbors would help each other out without hesitation and many friendships were formed over the past four years. It was almost Utopian how everyone got along. From simple things such as borrowing sugar to BBQ-parties and even the occasional festival, this neighborhood was a tight-knit community. Children were running around, playing games with their parents and friends, enjoying their time to the fullest. And Asriel simply watched, his face shaped by the envy he held for all those children that were living the life he never had. How much he longed to play ball with his father or to explore the nearby woods and pretend a simple stick is a cool sword together with a friend. How desperately he craved being able to live like a normal child would. But a life like that was not granted to him. He returned his focus back on the road ahead, lest his bitterness might take over.

After a few more minutes of walking, the empty bus stop came into view, and it was much better condition than the one where the school bus stopped. But this wasn’t the time to admire the difficult to accomplish task of keeping this place clean. The bus, which was also in much better condition than the school bus, was already approaching. Asriel sighed in what could be considered a sense of relief. The sooner he’d get to pick up his game, the sooner he would be back in his room. 

Once the bus fully came to a halt, the doors opened and the bus driver, a young man full of enthusiasm who has yet to see the horrors of public transport, greeted Asriel with a big smile.

“Where you’re off to, buddy?” the driver asked enthusiastically as he closed the doors again.

“Downtown,” Asriel replied, attempting to mask his low mood.

“Meeting up with friends?” the driver inquired, attempting to make small-talk while he printed the ticket. “Well, here you go buddy. That’ll be 4.50$. Have fun.”

“Thanks,” the prince, hurt by the drivers assumption, looked of to the side and replaced the ticket with a fiver. “Keep the change.”

With that interaction now being over, Asriel began looking for a seat. The bus was rather full and most seats were already taken, with most passengers placing their bags on the window seat. This left the listless caprine with two options. He could either stand for the duration of the ride, or ask a passenger to clear a seat for him. If he was underground he had the alternative of ordering their execution, or just giving them the order to clear a seat, but that would take things a little too far. Besides, most would make way for the prince regardless whether they were asked to or not. Seeing that Asriel didn’t really feel up for social interaction, he decided to stand near the door.

“Oh my, this won’t do. This won’t do at all. A prince should not have to stand during a bus ride,” much to Asriel’s horror, an old and raspy voice began talking to him. Why, just why does it always have to be the nice old lady. Next she’s going to do is offering him sweets. “Please, have a seat.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll get off at the next stop anyway. I can stand for that little time,” Asriel politely declined the lady’s offer, claiming that he’s fine, only to almost lose his balance when the bus stopped at a traffic light. “I’m fine, really.”

The elder chuckled heartily at Asriel’s display. “You remind me of my grandson. A dashing, young fellow, I tell you.”

And now she was talking about her grandson, a situation Asriel really hope wouldn’t occur. He didn’t want to hear about some random woman’s grandchildren, he didn’t want to hear about anyone’s grandchildren simply because he did not care. And worst of all, he couldn’t just put his headphones back on since that would be the epitome of rudeness. All he could do was hope that the bus arrives earlier than expected. Or bet on the slim chance that the lady might just croak mid sentence, she was rather old after all. It wasn’t the nicest thing to think about, especially considering she probably only want’s someone to talk to, but it certainly was a possibility.

Of course the lady would continue talking about her grandson, telling Asriel all the details he never even knew he didn’t care about. Like how he nursed a bird with a broken wing back to health or how he helps her with modern technology. And she kept talking and talking, not even giving Asriel the chance to say something. Not that it bothered him. That meant all he had do to was to act like he listened. But there was something that bothered him, the feeling as if he forgot something.

“Oh dearie me. I didn’t meant to talk your ears off. This is your stop, right? Well, thank you for listening to the ramblings of an old lady. Take care,” the old lady apologized for her rambling and said her goodbyes with a smile.

The short bus ride came to an end and Asriel, with one goal in mind, marched onward to the local electronics store. With his head phones back in place, and hoodie pulled up, he moved through the inner-city. It was impressive just how quickly this place was build. Four years ago this was just a small town near the base of Mt. Ebott. Now this place was packed full with countless shops, restaurants and night-life entertainment. The city was bustling with life, humans and monsters pouring in and out of the streets. Street performers capturing and enchanting curious viewers with their show while vendors were offering their nick-nacks and ‘magical’ trinkets to the curious and superstitious.

Asriel continued to push through the endless masses of humans and monsters clogging the streets, which proved more difficult than first anticipated. He was rather short for his age and many people simply failed to notice him, until they bumped into him by accident. Most were quick to apologize on the spot, afraid there might be consequences they almost knocked the prince of monsters of his feet. Most of the times, the caprine just moved on without saying anything, or he would have if it wasn’t for those pushy quacks and charlatans.

“Excuse me young man, may I have a minute of your time?” a voice from his left began talking, causing him to roll his eyes in annoyance.

“No,” Asriel gave a stern reply to what he assumes to be yet another idiot trying to sell his new miracle drug.

“You’re in dire danger, young man. Dark forces took a firm hold on you, I can clearly see it. If you don’t act swiftly, you might soon succumb to them,” the quack continued their sham. “But there’s still hope for you.”

“Let me guess. A magical amulet? Perhaps and enchanted ring? Maybe just a stupid rock you claim has magical powers. Well, tell you what. Shove it up your ass, I don’t give a damn,” the prince snarled at the vendor as he began loosing his patience. 

“I am certainly not joking. You’re situation is most dire. If you do not act, you will soon be swathed in darkness unimaginable,” despite no visible success, they continued to stick to their script, even going so far as reaching for Asriel’s arm.

“As if you know what ‘darkness’ really means. Fuck off already, before it’s off to the chopping block with you,” Asriel gave the charlatan a rather rough shove, sending them tumbling into their booth filled ‘enchanted’ necklaces. Every single one of them broke into countless, tiny pieces. It was true that these necklaces had magical properties. They disappear in water, like salt tends to. The caprine silently chuckled to himself, seeing how he just ruined some swindlers scheme. 

Having dealt with this rather unpleasant situation, Asriel could now move on to what was actually important to him right now. The crowds of people were dense, both literally and figuratively, but with a little bit of pushing the prince managed to reach his destination. GO-asis, a safe haven for gamers and otaku alike. They had everything related to Anime and gaming. Manga, video games, all sorts of merchandise and everything related to PCs and consoles. They even sold wares directed towards the more adult audience, if the buyer was old enough that is.

Asriel was a bit of a regular around here, always on the hunt for new, games or parts to improve his PC. And every now and then, he would buy a new Manga or Anime, though Alphys was a much more efficient supplier. She was one of the few Asriel still got along with. Sure, she might be partially responsible for Asriel’s misery but he didn’t blame her. She was only doing what she was told do. Besides. Alphys overlooked the entire age rating thing. If Asriel was interested in something that was a little more saucy, and this wasn’t just limited to the Ecchi genre, he’d just have to ask Alphys. It was her way of making amends, even if the law disagreed with her practice.

“Good morning, Asriel,” one of the employees was quick to greet the monster. “Here to pick up your game, I take it?”

“Yeah,” he replied in a somewhat relaxed tone.

“Got it, hang on a second,” the employee that just greeted him quickly disappeared into the warehouse.

Asriel took the moment to check what was displayed near the counter. First thing that caught his attention was the bargain bin filled with games from two console generations ago. Almost all of them were based around toys or movie characters directed at children. Something like that could be forgiven, if those games wouldn’t fall under the ‘trash’ category. They only served to promote the manufacturers toys or a new movie. Gameplay usually consisted of press X to do a thing, then do it again. And worst of all. These games, which were nothing more than promotion material, cost money. Sure, the price was reduced to 5 bucks and they even offered a 5 for 4 deal but even free was too expensive for those games.

Next to the bargain bin were the shelves with the newer games, that despite being only half finished still cost 70 bucks plus micro transactions. Generic FPS 4K (give us your money edition), Space Wars Pay Upfront 2 (I can’t believe it’s not gambling) and even RushedGame76 (The it just works edition) they were all here. But those were just a hand full of bad apples from big name companies. There were plenty of big and finished games that are totally worth 70 bucks. 

Just opposite of the game shelve, were the various Anime DVDs and Manga. Everything that is, and isn’t, currently popular was put on display. Asriel never really bothered to follow the current trends, he just picked up whatever sounded interesting to him. He did have one Manga series he actively followed, though it was that type of Manga he couldn’t just buy himself, at least not for now. Lucky for him, Alphys was there to save the day. 

“Alright, here you go. Sorry it took so long,” the employee returned with a rather big box, which she placed on the counter. It was the collector’s edition and for about 500 bucks on the cheaper end of Collector’s editions. These days some cost as much, if not more, than a new car.

“Don’t you need to check the receipt?” Asriel raised an eyebrow, his voice shifting upwards by an octave.

“Technically yes. But I know you already payed. I took your order back then, remember? Besides, you’re a regular around here,” the clerk reminded as she packed up Asriel’s box. “Here you go, have fun.”

“Thanks, and have nice day,” with a small wave, and even smaller smile, Asriel left the shop. For once, he felt a genuine sense of happiness flicker inside. Finally holding that game he was looking forward in his hands, it brought the slightest bit of a grin to his face. Now he only had to make it home in once piece.

With his new, prized possession in hand, Asriel made his way back to the bus stop. This time, he made sure to avoid the crowded parts of town. It would be a bit of a detour, but that was fine as long as it meant he wouldn’t get robbed. 

His path lead him further into the town’s center and from there, along the edge of the towns residential district. Skyscrapers stood back to back, conjoining into gray concrete walls that conquered the dusty firmament. Day or night, the sky above looked always the same. Gray with ash from the nearby industrial district and illuminated by the lights below. Much like the commercial district, this part of town used to be a green plain surrounded by lush woods. Now it was reduced to nothing more than a cold concrete jungle. It was Asriel’s least favorite part of town. Everything just seemed so cold and gray. The buildings, the streets and even the people, it all just felt so inhospitable. He was glad that he only had to pass through the outer parts of it. 

The remaining route lead him along the busy main road and then back into the commercial district. It wasn’t too long until he’d finally be back at the bus station. Just down the walkway, and then his destination would be within arms reach. But something caused Asriel to stop in his tracks. A sound, somewhat familiar and yet like an illusion. He paused and waited, hoping to hear it again. And there it was again, this time a little louder. He looked around, hoping to locate the source of the noise, ignoring the looks he earned from the other pedestrians. And again, the same noise. Like the meowing of a cat. It came from the alleyway, tucked away in between a restaurant and a bakery. 

The corners of Asriel’s lips began to curl into something akin to a smile. He always liked animals, they never took everything he had away from him just because. And so he moved towards the source of the noise, hoping he would find a cute little kitty. There he saw it, a stray cat, just sitting in front of a dumpster, meowing happily. The cat remained in place as Asriel approached, clearly used to human, or rather monster contact. In fact, the cat was rather affectionate and began waddling towards Asriel, purring affectionately. 

“Hey there, little guy,” the prince spoke as he bend down on his knees, patting the cat’s head. “Are you out here all by yourself?”

The cat replied with a headbutt against Asriel’s knuckles.

“You must be quite lonely, being all alone like that,” Asriel spoke calmly, as he sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall, his box placed next to him.

And he remained there, sitting in this dark alley, patting a random cat. Because dark alleys are totally safe for children and teens, or anyone, to be in. Nothing terrible has ever happened inside a dark alleyway, away from the prying eyes of the public. But what’s the worst that could happen? Someone might kill him. Wouldn’t be the first time someone did that. He died so many deaths, what’s one more? Besides, he was a monster. And not just any old monster. He was a boss monster, and he knew some rather potent magic. Spending some time with a stray cat in a dark alley didn’t seem all that dangerous too him, the cat was certainly enjoying it.

“I know this probably sounds weird but, I wish you were an actual person. It’s been way too long since I had a real friend I could rely on,” after several minutes of silence, Asriel spoke up again in a disheartened tone.

The cat simply tilted his head in response, though Asriel wasn’t quite sure what exactly that meant.

“Just look at me. Just another weirdo talking to a cat, wishing it was a person. Pathetic, isn’t it?” the caprine sighed, followed by an exasperated chuckle. 

The cat, seemingly having spotted something, walked out of the alley, leaving the now offended prince behind.

“Hey, that’s not nice,” Asriel called out as he jumped back on his feet, grabbing his box and dashing out of the alley.

Back on the street, Asriel began to look around in confusion. Where did the cat go and who’s that guy kneeling a little further ahead. Could it be? Did all the clichès of (bad) fiction came true? Did the cat he just talked to turn into a human? 

“Uhm, hi?” the goat spoke carefully as he approached the human.

The mysterious person in front of him visibly flinched, then turned around to face Asriel. 

“Hi?” the human, who upon closer inspection looked like your average human boy and NOT cat turned human, replied in confused hesitation.

Asriel just stood there, not quite sure what to say without making himself look like the greatest idiot this world has ever seen. Was he supposed to just tell the stranger that he thought he’s the cat from just a few seconds ago? What made things even worse was the look the stranger, who was still kneeling, gave him. He intently studied Asriel’s expression, taking notes in his mind and comparing them to what he knows. This got awkward way too quick. And where was that damn cat? Cat’s don’t just disappear into thin air, at least they shouldn’t. 

“Is something the matter?” after a short but incredibly awkward moment of silence the stranger finally spoke up again.

“Yes,” the embarrassed caprine quickly blurted out. “Have you seen a cat around here?”

The expression on the strangers face remained unreadable as he let one of his hand drop by his side. With a quick motion, he let his index- and middle finger brush against each other. The cat from earlier pushed his head underneath the strangers palm shortly after, demanding immediate affection. The stranger definitely wasn’t a cat. 

“This one?” the stranger inquired with a monotone voice. Just what is it with him? Asriel simply couldn’t get a read on what’s going through this guy’s head.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” the socially awkward prince replied, growing more nervous by the second.

“Is he your cat?” the human questioned as he continued to scratch the cat behind his ears.

“Well, no. I kind of just met him in that dark alley over there,” Asriel explained, pointing to the alley he emerged from. This interaction was getting worse with each second that passed. Just what was the stranger supposed to think of a guy that pets cats in dark alleyways?

“I see,” the stranger replied plainly. “Oh, don’t worry. There’s nothing weird about talking to animals. I used to talk to my dog too, back when he was still with us.”

Asriel’s cheeks immediately took a deep shade of crimson, heat rushing through his entire body. The boy in front of him heard him talking to the cat. Does that also mean he heard how Asriel wished for the cat to turn into a human? This conversation just reached peak awkwardness. The lack of facial expression on the strangers face only made it worse. In his awkwardness, Asriel subconsciously began to fiddle with the tips of his ears, eyes darting left and right and up and down just to avoid the strangers expressionless face.

“I did it again, didn’t I?” the human sighed and got back on his feet, dusting himself off any cat hair that might have gotten on him. “I’m sorry. I kinda tend to make things a little awkward.”

An awkward silence permeated the air, only the cat continued to purr as it rubbed it’s head against the strangers leg. Speaking of stranger, this might be a good time to ask for his name. Asriel’s social skills might be a little rusty but things could hardly get any more awkward than they already were.

“Anyway,” the prince stretched his words, then extended his free hand. “I’m Asriel. What’s your name?”

“Oh, yeah,” the stranger reacted as if he just remembered the basics of social interaction and gave Asriel a proper handshake. “It’s Noir, nice to meet you.”

Great, Asriel just learned the stranger’s name. Now what?

“So, uhm, do you live around here or?” the clueless prince asked timidly in an attempt to start a proper conversation.

“No. I was looking around town for a game that got released today, but it’s already sold out everywhere. So I just settled for a gift card to buy a digital copy,” Noir explained, his expression beginning to light up a little, voice much more lively. He must be quite passionate about video games. 

“What video game?” Asriel inquired further as his own awkwardness began melting away. He too, was quite passionate about video games.

“Twisted Fates 3, Children of the sky. I loved the previous two games,” the human male grew ever more lively, as if he turned into a completely different person right then and there.

“Wait, Twisted Fates 3? That’s the game I pre-ordered. I’ve got my copy right here,” Asriel excitedly pointed at the bag he was holding and it surprised him. He’s rarely ever the way he’s right now anymore. In fact, he can’t even remember the last time he initiated a conversation. And now he was talking to this random person like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“Really? And you even got the collector’s edition?” Noir exclaimed wide-eyed, now clearly excited. “Isn’t the collector’s edition like, 500 bucks?”

“It is, but that doesn’t matter. I'm the prince of monsters after all,” the prince boasted, only to quickly clasp his mouth afterwards. He just blared out the one thing he didn’t want to blare out.

“Really?” the human didn’t believe Asriel’s claim and promptly questioned it, pleasantly surprising the prince. Noir didn’t know about Asriel’s royal status, or maybe he did but did not care. 

“Hey! I know this might be a bit sudden but, do you want to hang out sometime? We can try out the new multiplayer,” Asriel continued to surprise himself with his actions. Not only did he manage to hold a proper conversation with a stranger for more than five minutes, he might even become friends with him.

“Sure, but I don’t even know where you live,” Noir agreed with a wide smile, only to lose his enthusiasm again. 

“How about we trade numbers then? We can talk about everything else over the phone that way,” the excited monster suggested.

“Alright,” the human agreed, and pulled out his mobile.

And so the pair slowly dictated their phone numbers to each other.

“So, where you’re headed now?” Asriel curiously inquired. Somehow he managed to turn this conversation around.

“I’m on my way to the nearby bus stop,” the human replied, returning to a more casual tone.

“What line are you taking?” the prince inquired further.

“E62, the one that takes you to the base of Mt. Ebott,” Noir replied as he tucked his phone away again.

“What’s your stop?” Asriel almost demanded to know, once again excited.

“Silver stream road,” the male answered, causing a wide smile to appear on the goat’s face. “Why are you asking?”

“We’re on the same bus and get off at the same stop,” the prince exclaimed in excitement. “And that means, we can walk the way to the bus together.”

Noir nodded in agreement and walked to the bus stop together with his new friend, mainly chatting about video games along the way and during the wait for the bus. The city had a pretty efficient public transport system, and the bus arrived only minutes after. The two males boarded and took their seats, their little chat shifting to more casual topics.

“So, what school do you go to?” Noir asked with curiosity.

“Ebott middle school, though I’ll be going to Ebott High after summer break,” Asriel happily replied. He was amazed by how easy talking to his new friend was. It just happened, out of the blue. Maybe this was some sort of divine intervention, a sign that his suffering has come to an end. Or maybe it’s just a cruel trick of fate, just another relationship that Frisk would ruin. No, Asriel wouldn’t let that happen. He had to come up with something, and he had to do it quick. No matter what, he would make sure he’d get to keep this one friend he made.

“Ebott middle school? That’s the same school I go to,” the human male seemed happy. “And we’re in the same year, just in a different class.

Same school and even the same year? That should make everything a lot easier for Asriel. He just had to play his cards right and find out what makes Noir tick. He didn’t know what to do afterwards, or how to get there in the first place, but he was working on it. Frisk wouldn’t take everything away again, he wouldn’t allow them to.

“Really?” Asriel exclaimed in surprise. “Then how come I’ve never seen you before?”

“Well, I tend to avoid other people. I had some pretty nasty experiences in the past,” Noir’s eyes trailed off to the side. It seemed as if this was a topic he’d rather avoid talking about.

“Why don’t you join me? You can usually find me near the green patch during recess,” the prince suggested, eager to find out more about Noir. 

“Sure, I’d love to,” the human agreed with a happy smile, much to Asriel’s delight. 

This was so much easier than he first thought, maybe even a little too easy even. But it didn’t matter. He was glad that befriending Noir was this easy. Now he just had to nurture this friendship so it wouldn’t just wither and die. And then find a way to make it last for more than just one timeline.

The remaining ride was filled with chit-chat about whatever arbitrary topic came up. And soon enough the bus arrived at Silver stream road where the pair got off the bus.

“So, where you headed now?” the prince continued with his numerous question. It was as if asking question was all he could do.

“Amber falls,” the human replied nonchalantly.

“Amber falls?” Asriel repeated, raising a hand to his chin. “Hey, that’s just a ten minute walk from where I live. Mind if I walk with you?”

“Nope, not at all,” Noir shot a fleeting smile towards Asriel.

The furred monster followed the human. It seemed as if today would mark the end of his lonely days. He’d make sure it does. It would take time, it’d wouldn’t be easy but he’d fully earn Noir’s friendship and maybe even his affection. And once he found a way to stop the resets, he would pay Frisk back. Tenfold AND with interest. He’d show them that death was a mercy, and Frisk wasn’t deserving of mercy.

“Well, here we are,” the human spoke up again, causing Asriel to flinch. He was so lost in thought he didn’t even notice where he was. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you. See you in school and don’t be stranger. I sure won’t,” Asriel once more extended his hand for a handshake.

“Yeah, likewise. See you around,” Noir said his goodbyes with a handshake and walked up to the front door of his home while Asriel continued on his way home.

By now the sun was standing high in the cerulean sky, casting it’s warming rays down on the earth below while a light breeze carried the song of birds and rustling leafs. In the middle of all of it walked Asriel, smiling from ear to ear. For once he felt hopeful, hopeful that this might be a new beginning for him. But right now he had a new game he was eager to try out, so he sprinted the last few meters to his house.

“I’m back,” Asriel chirped as he entered through the front door, panting from his little extra exercise.

“There you are! I was getting worried about you,” after a few seconds Toriel stormed out of the kitchen, telephone in hand. She would have hugged her son but he probably would have just wiggled out of her arms. 

“You look awfully happy, did something happen?” the queen inquired nosily, sensing the perfect opportunity to reconnect with her son.

“I met someone on my way home and we became friends. We even go to the same school,” the prince replied in a sing-song voice.

This almost family like moment was a pleasant surprise for Toriel. She couldn’t even remember the last time she saw her son like this. It must have been long before things turned out the way they did. Maybe there still was hope. That’s what she hoped for. 

While Toriel’s thoughts were drifting off, Asriel made a quick disappearance by sneaking off upstairs and into his room. There he was quick to realize that he forgot to turn off the lights before he left, which explained why he felt like he forgot something on his way down town. But that wasn’t what’s important right now, he was quite eager to try out that new game he bought. 

Without wasting any more time than he already had, he carefully opened the box, filled to the brim with all sort of goodies. The games official soundtrack, the official art book, the official guide book, a map of the ridiculously huge world, a ludicrous 256Gb USB-Stick, a key-chain and two different hoodies with the games logo on it. There even was a decorative replica of “Heaven’s Spite”, one of the games unique and legendary weapons. And of course there was a copy of the game in a regular cover. An additional steel-book cover was also inside.

Asriel turned on his console and popped in the disc. Now all that was left to do was to wait for the game to install, because for some reason that’s a thing with consoles these days. Usually this would bother him to no end, but now he had someone to talk during the installation process. So he pulled out his phone, pressed on the contact he added and began typing away.

_Hey, it’s me :)_

_Hey Asriel_ _You already got to try out your new_ _game?_

_It’s installing right now :\_

_That sucks_  
_Mine’s downloading right now_  
_Should be done in a few minutes_  
_Internet is really fast around here_  
_Much faster than it was back home_  
_You said you bought the collector’s_  
_edition, right?_

__

_Yeah, I did and it’s_  
_full of stuff (*_*_ )  
_I can send you a picture,_  
_if you want :)_

_I’d love too_

Asriel emptied the box and placed it’s contents in an orderly fashion on the floor in front of him. He then proceeded to take several photos, which he then compared to each other. After a careful selection process, in which he ruled out specific pictures for arbitrary reasons, he selected the one he thought turned out the best and send it to his new friend.

_They even put a replica of_  
_Heaven’s Spite in there?_  
_That’s so cool._

_I know, right?_  
_Can’t wait to get the weapon_  
_in game._  
_Trailers made it look sooo OP_  
\\(^o^)/ 

_Yeah. It looked so cool_  
_in the trailer._  
_Anyway, I would love to_  
_keep chatting but Lunch’s ready_.  
_Talk to you later._

The prince softly smiled to himself. He knew this feeling of euphoria wouldn’t last too long, so he savored every second of it. He knew that, in just a few days, it would fade away again and all of his fears and worries would make a return. This frail illusion of a happy world would shatter and he would live every second in fear of another reset again. But he found his motivation, his reason to keep going and maybe even someone to spend his life with. Now all he needed was a plan that allowed him to reach his goals. No more resets, a normal happy life and a way that allowed him to keep his new friend. He wouldn’t allow Frisk to ruin everything again, regardless of what he has to do to stop them. But right now, he had something else on his mind. The game finished installing and he already new what he’d use the entirety of his weekend for. In the end, today did turn out to be a good day.


	3. Semblance Of Normalcy

It was the beginning of a new week and Asriel found himself half-listening to the mind-numbing rambling of his magic teacher. He didn’t quite understand why magic was a mandatory subject though. Monsters were obviously able to use magic and the same goes for humans. They might not be as proficient with it as monsters are, but practice makes perfect.

Ever since monsters returned, more and more humans utilized the magic powers dormant within them. Some used it as a tool to aid them in their life, as entertainment, or maybe to just play around. And of course there were those that use it to commit crimes. Even medical and military uses were taken into consideration. And then there were those people that use it to spice things up their private life only to end up in ER with critical injuries in delicate places.

Instead of paying attention, the prince looked out the window, dreaming of the life he so longed for. He’d wake up in the morning, welcoming the new day with open arms. The warming rays of the morning sun would pour over him as he pulled up the blinds, stretching the sleep out of his body and getting dressed for the day. Then he’d go downstairs where his parents and a delicious, homemade breakfast would greet him. Asgore would make a classic dad joke and everyone would first groan in annoyance but ultimately laugh. Asriel would then meet up with his friends and crush, to whom he would eventually confess. They’d return his feelings and from there on, they would happily spend their days together until time itself comes to an end. Frisk would float through outer space, getting fried by space radiation, completely stripped of their powers. And Chara would be somewhere far, far away from Asriel.

“Perhaps Asriel could tell us?” the teacher’s stern voice snapped the prince out of his trance, putting a confused expression on his face. “Pay attention next time.”

“Yeah, whatever,” a single, dismissive sigh was the only response Asriel bothered with and the teacher could only roll with their eyes. Despite his attitude, Asriel was one of the school’s best students. He never payed attention in class and yet always managed to ace every single test. Everyone wanted to issue disciplinary measures but the teachers had their hands tied.

Class dragged on and nothing of value was added by the teacher. It was always the same old stuff Asriel heard more times than he cared to count. Despite that, he never managed to get a college degree. Frisk either reset beforehand or something else was going on. In fact, he can’t even remember ever making it past the age of 22 years. Though that’s bound to happen after countless resets.

It felt like an eternity until the bell rang, ending the boring class and marking the beginning of the equally boring recess. Today, however, he looked forward to recess. He had someone to talk to, so he made a mad dash to his little, green oasis where he was supposed to meet up.

Asriel arrived in between the countless, colorful flowers, huffing and puffing as he rested his hand on his knees. Perhaps sprinting here wasn’t the smartest idea he had, like many other ideas he had. Now all Asriel had left to do was sit down and catch his breath while he waited for Noir.

The human in question wouldn’t keep Asriel waiting for too long. After a minute or two he came into view, passing underneath the overgrown steel arc. The caprine looked towards the human with a smile, using the opportunity to take a closer look at him. Noir was about half a head taller, which wasn’t all that surprising, and his skin seemed rather pale. His hair was short and of a light shade of brown, his clothes as bland as they come. In Anime, he’d most likely be that one character that says something and is then never seen again.

“You actually came,” Asriel exclaimed with a joyful expression, eyes beaming.

“Of course, I always keep my word,” Noir replied as he sat down next to Asriel, pulling his lunch out of his bag. “Do you always hang out around here?”

“I actually found this place just the other day. I like it here,” a disheartened sigh left the caprine’s throat as he looked around the little patches of flowers and greenery “It reminds me of dad.”

“What happened to your dad?” the brunette carefully inquired, knowing full well that this was a rather sensitive subject.

“He’s in jail. He did some really bad stuff back underground,” Asriel's expression shifted to a more somber tone. “A lot of bad stuff happened underground.”

Noir found himself curious about Asriel’s life underground but this wasn’t the time to probe into matters Asriel was seemingly uncomfortable with. Perhaps one day he’d tell him.

A moment of silence passed until the prince looked up again, his expression somewhere between sad and indifferent. “Do you have any siblings?”

The human fell silent for a moment, eyes wandering off to the side. After a minute of thinking, he shook his head “No, I don’t. How about you?”

“Well, technically there’s Frisk, but I really wouldn’t call them family. We’re siblings by paper and that’s all I’ll ever see them as. That stupid kid mom decided to adopt. I wish the universe would just erase them, like they never existed in the first place,” the tone of Asriel’s voice made it quite clear that he didn’t like Frisk at all. “What makes everything worse is the fact we live in the same house. I seriously wish that I could just move out.”

“Is it really that bad?” the human inquired, sounding somewhat doubtful.

“Frisk is the absolute worst that has ever happened in the history of everything. They fucked things up and then they fuck it up even more by doing the same thing that fucked things up in the first place,” the prince began talking himself into a fit of rage. “Every single time they reset, the same shit plays out again and I’m sick of it.”

“Reset?” Noir repeated, hoping for clarification, ignoring the caprine’s language.

“It’s a bit complicated to explain,” the prince began with a heavy sigh. “Think of it as a video game with just one save file.”

“So you can save and load. And if you want to start a new game, you have to delete the old file first?” unsure whether he understood, Noir let the pitch of his voice increase as if to ask for confirmation.

“Yeah, the latter is called a true reset. There are two different types of resets. Normal resets, which is basically just loading your save and true resets, which occur after you ‘beat’ the game,” Asriel clarified, his mood becoming more and more volatile. “Frisk can do those things. Save, load, reset. If something bad happens, they’ll do just that. True reset.”

The brunette listened, paying great attention to every single word Asriel said and every shift in his expression, no matter how tiny it may be.

“Can you imagine? You’ve been through all sorts of hell until one day it looks like everything will be better again. You start working on all of your bad habits you picked up. Life is good. You’re happy, have a loving family and friends. And then someone just takes it all away and throws you back in your personal hell. And they do it over and over again,” Asriel paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath in an attempt to compose himself before he’d end up falling into an unimaginable rage. “Frisk is that someone. Their stupid ability to reset time ruined everything. All those friends I made, all those times I fell in love with someone. All of it lost, again and again, because Frisk would reset at some point in time. Intentional or not.”

The human tried his hardest to wrap his head around what Asriel was trying to tell him, and he did so with moderate success. Apparently, and for some reason still unknown to him, Frisk had control over time to a certain degree.

“I’m just so sick of it. I just want all of it to end but there’s nothing I can do. Sooner or later, everything just jumps back to that one day,” Asriel slumped down as if all energy has been drained from him in an instant and began sobbing uncontrollably. “I don’t want to loose everything over and over again, I just can’t take it anymore.”

Unsure about what exactly to do, Noir scooted over to Asriel and wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to comfort him. The very second Asriel realized what was going on, he clutched on to the human’s body. Asriel held onto him as if he could just float away at any moment. He knew how weird it was, considering he only just met Noir. He knew how clingy it made him look but he simply did not care anymore. And he knew how futile it was. It made no difference how desperately he would clutch something. Sooner or later, Frisk would rip it right out of his grasp again.

No, no more. Asriel would find a way to put an end to Frisk’s resets, no matter the cost. If he has to break them, rip their SOUL out of their body and tear it to shreds in front of their eyes, then he’d do just that. He’d do it with a big smile on his face if it meant no more resets.

As the minutes passed, Asriel began to calm down. With his sobs slowly dying down, his grip loosened again. He could feel his eyes stinging from all the crying but he didn’t care and it seemed Noir didn’t either.

“Feeling better?” the human asked with concern as he let go.

“Yeah, kinda,” the prince replied with a hoarse voice, eyes red and puffy. “Thank you.”

“Hey, if you hate Frisk that much then why don’t you just spend time at my place instead? You probably can’t stay there all the time but at least you don’t have to deal with Frisk as much as you do now,” Noir suggested, much to Asriel’s surprise. It was a more childish version of the question whether he wanted to move in with Noir, which he’d do in a heartbeat, and the caprine could already feel how his lips curled into a smile again.

“I’d love to,” Asriel nearly whispered as he nodded in response.

“Alright, I’ll just ask my parents real quick,” without wasting another second, Noir pulled out his phone and began typing. A few seconds passed and he looked back up from the screen, a smile spreading across his face. “Everything’s set. You can come straight after school.”

“But what about homework?” although hesitant about it, Asriel still managed to say the dreaded word. He wanted to spend time with Noir and bond with him while he figured out a plan to end the resets. But if Noir’s grades plummet as a result he might no longer be allowed to meet up with Asriel.

“We’ll just do them together. Sure, we might have different classes at different times, but that doesn’t mean we cant help each other out,” judging by his response, Noir was completely set in this with no way to change his mind again.

Asriel wanted to say something, but the ringing of the bell cut him off before he could even open his mouth.

“Wait for me by the entrance, OK?” before Asriel could even realize what just happened, he saw Noir already on his way back to class. Looks like he has to wait until school’s over, which fortunately was rather soon. But until then, he’d have to put up with teachers telling him stuff he had already heard a billion times. So he spend the remaining day slacking off.

After an agonizingly long time the bell rang again, signaling the end of the day. With the day finally over, Asriel quickly packed his stuff and was among the first to be out the door. But Noir was nowhere to be seen yet and that meant even more waiting. Perhaps Asriel was a little too eager to spend time with Noir. About five minutes later, the human he waited for finally appeared and Asriel began running towards him with a smile.

“Sorry I kept you waiting. The teacher refused to shut up,” the human apologized, blaming a problem all to common with teachers.

“It’s alright, I haven’t been waiting for too long,” the prince was quick to just dismiss the humans concern. “Let’s go. We wouldn’t want to miss our bus, right?”

Noir nodded in response and, with Asriel tagging along, made his way to the bus stop. On their way, the two chatted about classes, homework and their teachers. Turns out, Noir didn’t enjoy school all that much either. What a surprise.

The way to the bus, as well as the bus stop itself, was crowded by the plethora of students storming out of the school. Pushing and squeezing ensured, some even decided it would be a good idea to play-fight. Everybody knows it’s an amazing idea to push others around near a road, after all. Nothing bad could possibly come from that. Scraped knees should be a part of every child’s childhood, but there are safer ways to scrape up one’s knees other than playing near a busy road.

“So, what are your parents like?” the prince turned towards the human, his head tilted slightly.

“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t see them all that much since they’re busy with work most of the time. I usually spend most of my time by myself,” Noir wore a rather indifferent expression.

“Where do you parents work?” Asriel inquired further, curious about the human’s family life.

“Mom’s working in retail, Dad’s a businessman,” the human's reply sounded rather plain as he looked towards the arriving bus. “Let’s go.”

The prince nodded and entered the bus, sitting down next to his new friend. “So, are you parents home or?”

“Mom should be, though I’m not quite sure. Schedules tend to be a little inconsistent,” the male spoke as he stared out the window, his unreadable expression visible in the reflection inside the window.

“What do you mean?” still curious, Asriel slightly tilted his head.

“Simply put, schedules change all the time. First it’s from 6AM to 2PM, then it’s 2PM to 8PM, then you get the day off only for things to go back to 2PM to 8PM. Mom’s supposed to have a day off today, but it could just as well be that her boss called and asked her to come work today,” the human explained, sounding somewhat irritated. “Dad’s usually traveling all over the country.”

Asriel found himself feeling sorry for the human, though there was also a hint of envy sneaking in. Noir had no siblings and he’d get to spend most of his time by himself. No annoying sibling he’d like to watch drowning in a sea of flames, no meaningless ramblings of a mother that doesn’t know how to parent. It certainly was far away from a perfect life, but given his situation it was a life Asriel would much rather have.

The ride continued and was noisy as always, with Twisted Fates 3 being a hot topic among students. They were talking about their created characters, playstlyes and the choices they made as they played. And of course everyone ended up screaming because different people play games in different ways, which was unacceptable. A game where each playthrough was unique, thanks to an open world with dynamic interaction between pretty much everything, had one, and only one, definite way to play it. And it wasn’t stealth archer. Of course everyone was adamant that their way was the correct way and everyone that doesn’t play that exact way was an absolute idiot. That’s how those games work after all, at least according to people that don’t even know how to properly hold a controller.

Everything became gradually more quiet as the bus approached it’s final stop. Soon enough, all that could be heard was the sound of the bus’s engine, which sounded like it was about to give up the ghost. But the final stop was within sight, so those last remaining passengers should be fine. Unless the engine decides to go out with a bang.

“Hey, I just realized. If we live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school. How come I’ve never seen you at the bus stop?” curiosity filled the prince’s voice as he stepped out of the bus.

“One of my parents usually drops me off at school. And when they can’t, I just use my bike. It’s just as fast as the bus, seeing that I can use streets off-limits to cars,” the human’s voice was as neutral as always.

Asriel nodded in response and followed alongside the human. In just a few minutes he’d get see how Noir lived, and maybe even how his future live might look like, should he become a part of it. Until he finds a way to reclaim his life that is. Then it’s back to the castle, or something of equal luxury. Asriel did feel like he deserved only the best of the best after everything he went through. He earned himself the right to a huge home with servants.

“Well, here we are,” Noir stopped in front of a rather generic looking house with a small front yard and pulled out his keys. With a click, he unlocked the door and entered the, for Asriel unknown place. The prince followed, and the smell of freshly cooked food immediately began entering his nostrils.

It seemed as if Noir noticed too, judging by how quickly he walked towards, what Asriel assumed to be the kitchen.

“Hey mom,” the human called out, as Asriel awkwardly followed into the kitchen.

Noir’s mother turned around to face her son, ready to greet him, but fell silent once she saw who Noir brought along. While she wasn’t sure who this new friend her son made was, she never expected to see the prince of monsters in her house. What was she supposed to do now? One of the most important monsters in the world was currently standing in her hallway, and all she had made for lunch was a semi-homemade pizza. She can’t just go and serve the prince pizza, that’s not appropriate. But that’s all she had, so she just motioned her son over.

“Do you know who that is?” Noir’s mother whispered to her son, flabbergasted by the fact he brought the prince of monsters over.

“Yeah, that’s Asriel,” the human whispered back, seemingly obliviously to Asriel’s standing.

“Well, yes. But do you know who Asriel is?” the speechless mother replied.

“Uhm, not really. We only met a few days ago. I do know he’s a monster though,” Noir continued to present him self unaware to the fact Asriel wasn’t just any old monster.

“He’s the prince of monsters,” she exclaimed in a semi-whisper.

“So he really is,” the young boy seemed to have finally realized but seemed rather indifferent about it. “He did tell me something like that, but I didn’t believe him.”

Asriel was utterly baffled by what Noir just said. How could he not know about Asriel’s royal status? News all over the world reported about the royal monsters. There was a cartoon running on TV featuring the Dreemurr’s and they even sold merchandise. And if that wasn’t enough, Asriel was fairly popular with the world’s population. Everyone and their grandmother new Asriel was a prince, even if they live underneath a rock on the dark side of the moon.

“I don’t mean to be rude but, what’s in the oven?” the now as prince recognized, and seemingly peckish monster, inquired.

Rather intimidated by Asriel’s presence, Noir’s mother looked over to the oven then back at the monster, replying in an unsure tone: “Pizza.”

“I LOVE pizza,” Asriel exclaimed in excitement and quickly took a seat at the nearby table.

Noir’s mother was utterly dumbfounded. Asriel, the prince of monsters, was fine with eating a commoners pizza.

The human himself just decided to sit down next to Asriel, while his mother pulled the pizza out of the oven. A simple pizza with salami, ham and plenty of cheese. Good for you SOUL, seriously bad for you arteries.

“This smells delicious,” the prince called out with wide eyes.

“What are you waiting for then? Dig in,” the human replied, much more lively than he usually appears to be.

Asriel didn’t need to be told twice, and he immediately placed a slice on his plate. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had pizza and quickly tried to take a rather big bite out of his slice, much to his immediate regret. In a completely unforeseen turn of events that no one could have possibly predicted, Asriel burned his tongue on the piping hot slice of cheesy goodness. Tears shot to his emerald eyes as he dropped the pizza back onto his plate, hissing at the unpleasant feeling of having burnt his tongue.

“You okay?” Noir asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

“Burned my tongue a bit,” the caprine replied in a strained half whisper.

“That sucks,” the human replied plainly. “Hope you enjoy not being able to taste anything for the next days.”

While Asriel sat there, still stunned from the burning feeling on his tongue, Noir’s mother placed a glass of cold water in front of the caprine. And as quickly as the cup was filled, it was empty again. Because that’s the smart thing to do. Why let the cold water sit in your mouth for a moment if you could just chuck it down in the matter of seconds. But it seemed to have worked nonetheless.

With that issue being resolved, the two friends enjoyed their lunch. And even though Asriel’s sense of taste was a little impaired for the time being, he still found the pizza to be amazingly delicious. Much more than his mother’s cooking. Perhaps it was just some sort of psychological effect, but the food at Noir’s placed tasted a lot better than the food back home. Everything just matched, and on top of that the cheese had the perfect consistency for pizza. Before long, the pizza was gone completely.

“Well, guess it’s time for homework,” Noir sighed, demotivated by the fact he had to spend his precious time on some stupid assignment. Understandably so, who enjoys homework anyway?

Asriel wasn’t keen on doing his homework either but he had to do it. Not that it would really take up much of his time, seeing that he already went through school numerous times.

And so the two boys began working on what all students, regardless their age, hated equally. Even though the two had completely different assignments, they still helped each other out as much as possible.

While Asriel was halfheartedly solving math problems using methods more complex than the problem itself, Noir was locked in a fierce battle with his English assignment.

‘In a hurry, he broke through the old, red door, it’s color already flaking off.’ Explain in your own words why the author might have decided to describe the door as red.

It was yet another example of teachers overinterpreting a simple statement. The door was red because the author said so. It wasn’t symbolic, there was no hidden meaning, it wasn’t of any relevance to the plot. With that conclusion, all Noir had left to do was write a 1000 word essay on it. There was a reason Noir hated his English teacher. It was for stupid assignments like this. The essay might only be due by next week, but the sooner he got it out of the way the sooner he could do something fun, or at least something less irritating.

After roughly an hour, Noir decided that he had enough and decided to call it a day. On the bright side, he did get close to the 500 words mark. He didn’t care about writing a genuine interpretation but rather just a bunch of nonsense. It was probably no better than the teacher’s interpretation. A bunch of nonsense that would cause the author to spin in his grave at the speed of light.

“Well, I’m done for the day,” the human called out after a long, sigh.

“Does that mean we can play video games now?” Asriel sounded a little impatient.

“Yep,” Noir nodded and motioned for Asriel to follow him.

The prince didn’t hesitate, and followed the human upstairs to where his room was. And he found himself surprised, or rather amazed. Two small shelves, filled to the brim with video games both old and new. In front of his rather spacious bed, stood a TV stand, with a rather modern console. A desk with a PC stood right next to the stand. The walls were kept in rather flat colors.

“So, what do you think?” the human turned to his friend, seemingly interested in his opinion.

“I like your room. It’s feels much more homey than mine does,” Asriel’s reply sounded a little sad, his expression shifting as if he was hurt in some way.

“So, what do you want to do now?” the human inquired, trying to redirect Asriel’s thoughts as quickly as possible.

“Twisted Fates 3 got a new multiplayer, right?” the prince recalled, mood shifting upwards again. “Let’s try that out.”

“It does have multiplayer, but it’s online only. So, no local multiplayer,” although reluctant, Noir had to reject Asriel’s suggestion.

“Really? Why would people abolish couch co-op?” the prince was not amused, sighing to vent his displeasure. “Is it at least cross-platform?”

“Yeah, I think it actually is,” Noir gave a reasuring smile.

“Guess we can always try it out some other day then,” the caprine replied with a disappointed expression. “So, any other games we can play?”

“Plenty,” the human returned with a smile. “Check the shelves and pick one out. And if console doesn’t strike your fancy, let me know and I’ll turn on the computer.”

Having wasted enough time, Asriel quickly began searching through Noir’s collection of video games. And there were plenty of them, mainly RPGs though. Only few of them offered co-op, and those that did seemed rather boring.

“Nothing that strikes your fancy?” the human’s voice remained as neutral as always.

“Not really,” Asriel replied reluctantly.

“I’ll start up the PC then,” Noir spoke and sat down in front of his desk. A minute later and the PC was up and running.

Asriel immediately noticed how empty the human’s desktop looked. Just the recycle bin and a single folder named ‘Stuff’.

The human then opened the folder and quickly navigated through countless sub-folders. It was insane how Noir organized his PC. Folders within folders within folders, each named appropriately. Noir stopped once he opened a folder named ‘MP – Local’. The folder was a dead end. No more sub-folders but instead, numerous shortcuts to various games.

“Alright, just pick whatever sounds interesting,” the human moved to the side and let Asriel browse the selection of games.

“What’s this one about?” the prince asked with curiosity.

“Oh, that one. I almost forgot I even have that one,” Noir took a closer look the game Asriel had highlighted. “It’s a really fun, little 2D shoot em’ up. You can either play as a team or against each other. You get a bunch of ships and tons of weapons to choose from. Seriously, there are a lot of different weapons, and some even have different sub-types. The terrain is fully destructible and the water you can find in some stages drains quite realistically. For a game that old that is.”

“How does it play like?” Asriel inquired further.

“It’s quite simple. You fly around, and try to kill your enemy before he gets you. Try not to bump into walls since there’s collision damage. You need energy to fire your weapons and each weapon affects energy drain and regeneration. Energy regeneration can be accelerated by using the repair fields strewn across the map. Those fields also repair your ship, hence the name,” Noir really seemed to come alive as he explained the game. “It supports split-screen multiplayer for up to 4 player on the same keyboard and up to 64 ships at the same time. So in theory, you could play with 4 people against 60 AI controlled ships.”

“Hold on. Did you just say split-screen multiplayer? And we even have to play on the same keyboard?” bewildered, Asriel asked for confirmation. “How old is this game?”

“I dunno, I think it’s from 2002. And yes, you heard me right. Split-screen and on the same keyboard,” the human confirmed, looking rather excited.

Without wasting another second, Noir started the game and was met with the title screen moments later. He then turned his attention back to Asriel, who was staring at the screen with a curious expression. “So, do you want to jump right in or try out the controls first?”

The prince simply nodded in response, which was everything but a clear answer, and Noir started up a death match once he made the necessary adjustments. He then proceeded to explain how to move, fire main- and basic weapon, how to switch a weapon that has different sub-types and how to activate remote controlled weapons. It may sound like much, but it was rather simple. After the explanation, Asriel played around a little, getting used to how the games controls. In the meantime, Noir decided to fly around the map, blowing up the terrain.

Minutes passed and after about half an hour of playing around, testing the various ships, Asriel decided he was ready for an actual game.

“I think I’m ready,” the prince’s voice was a conflicting mixture of confidence and insecurity.

“You want to play as a team or against each other?” the human asked, ready to either completely annihilate the prince, or fight alongside him.

“Against each other,” Asriel replied with an exuberance of confidence.

The human simply smirked and set up the game. 5 lives, 1 stage, no banned weapons. Once the ships were chosen, the game began.

With their focus on their respective half of the screen, the two opponents began whizzing around the map, following their own strategy, or lack of strategy. Asriel decided to start with an all out offense, choosing only the most destructive weapons the game had to offer. Noir, on the other hand, was a lot more devious. He used the tools provided to build a bit of a hideout, which he then filled with all sorts of explosives. At the push of a button, the whole thing would blow up, preferably with Asriel inside. It was a rather risky plan, considering there was only one way in and out, but it was a plan regardless.

With his trap set, Noir choose a different weapon and moved out to find Asriel. The prince was still flying around the map, clueless as to where the human was. The radar in the bottom left corner went completely unnoticed. A minute passed, and the two finally found each other. Asriel instantly began firing and quickly realized that his weapon not only drained all of his energy, it was also really slow. The projectile missed Noir completely and crashed into a nearby wall, exploding into smaller explosives and fireballs. A surprise for sure, but a welcome one.

Asriel was caught off-guard but managed to save his own butt, only to get shot by Noir. That’s one life lost. But the prince wouldn’t have any of it and switched to a different weapon once he respawned, thirsting for revenge. So he maneuvered through the narrow corridors of the 2D map, searching for his opponent. And once he found him, he dropped a bomb on him, blowing him up right then and there.

At this point, Noir really got into the spirit of the game and decided to start an all out offense himself. His weapon of choice, the firestorm. As the name suggests, it shoots out a bunch of fireballs. Perfect for a risky all-out assault. And what a maneuver he pulled off. The human charged towards Asriel’s ship like a crazed madman and, once their ships overlapped, used his weapons, blowing up the caprine’s ship with a raging storm of fire.

The game continued for several minutes. Both players brought each other down to their last life and Noir finally had the opportunity to finish the game, smoking, sick, style. All he had to do was to get Asriel to follow him into the small, mined room he created. But for his plan to work, he needed one more little tool. The weapon that allowed him to block off the exit. While it’s possible to simply fly through the barrier without taking damage, it will drastically slow one down.

Another minute of flying around later, and Noir finally located the prince. With his plan in mind, the human took off again, keeping just enough distance to be within Asriel’s visual range. And the caprine followed, shooting occasionally to get some damage in. He didn’t even realize that he was being lured into a deadly trap.

This was easily the most dangerous part, and the part where things could go terribly wrong. According to his plan, Noir had to leave the room through the same way he entered, close off the exit and then trigger the explosion, all while Asriel was shooting at him.

The human sat in the cave he dug into the wall, while Asriel quickly approached, guns blazing. To his own demise, Asriel wasted all of his weapon energy and was forced to wait for it to regenerate. Noir used the moment given to him and dashed out of the room, shooting out the small spheres that would create the barrier. Unfortunately, he ended up trapping himself inside. That wouldn’t have been a problem, if he hadn’t already pressed the button that activated the bombs. Both, Asriel’s and Noir’s ship were torn apart in a series of blue sparks and explosions.

The game was over, the result a draw.

The prince looked away from the screen and towards Noir, a smile beaming across his face. “That was actually surprisingly fun,” he sounded happy, genuinely happy. As if, for the past twenty minutes, he simply forgot about all the worries that ail him.

“Want to play another round?” the human sounded as if he was just warming up.

“I’d love to,” Asriel chirped happily. “But let’s play as a team this time.”

Noir just nodded in response, adjusted the settings yet again, and started up another match. A simple 2 vs. 2 with the AI set to the lowest level. The games began, once more and hours were spend having a good time. Laughs were shared and victories celebrated. Asriel could hardly remember the last time he had the chance to enjoy himself like this. For once, he felt like he had a normal childhood. And how he wished moments like this could last forever.

Unfortunately all good times must come to an end sooner or later. It was starting to get late and the sun was just about to clock out, ready to let the moon take over the night shift. Asriel’s expression turned somber as he gazed out the window. He didn’t want to go ‘home’. This place, Noir’s place, felt a lot more like home than the place he lived at. No Frisk, no mother that would constantly annoy him, no feeling of being trapped in a place he had no escape from. But in the end, it had to be this way.

“I should go,” Asriel looked at his friend, voice hesitant and saddened. “It’s getting late, mom’s going to get worried about me.”

Noir showed himself sympathetic towards the prince and accompanied him to the door.

“I really enjoyed myself today. We need do this again someday,” a smile returned to the prince’s face and his voice regained part of it’s vigor, but behind all of it still remained a sense of sadness.

“Yeah, we really do,” the human replied, happy he got to spend the day with a friend. “Well, see you tomorrow.”

“See ya,” Asriel chirped back, waving his friend goodbye as he walked down the street.

It’s been a long time since Asriel felt welcome, and even longer since he felt like he had a genuinely good time. Though in the end, it was just a teasing little taste of something he will never be able to fully enjoy. He still had no idea how to make this permanent, how to stop the resets from happening. But he wouldn’t allow himself to be stopped by those thoughts. In time, he would forge a plan to accomplish his goals. For now however, he’d return to his drab life and hope there would be a new tomorrow.


	4. Caged

It was another perfect, sunny day, complete with balmy temperatures and little to no wind. Birds were once more chirping their cheerful songs and nature seemed to come more and more alive with each passing day of spring. Children were playing out on the streets and in the nearby woods, laughing and having the time of their life. 

Asriel, however, preferred to spend his time differently. Instead of going outside and into the sun like a normal child, he did what he deemed a more appropriate use of his time. Playing video games with his friend. It wasn’t all that different from playing outside, really. He was playing with a friend, going on a fantastic adventure in a fantasy world. Same as kids playing in the woods, pretending they’re exploring a mythical, magical forest filled with mystery and adventure. 

After initial difficulties, he and Noir finally managed to set up their session of Twisted Fates 3. And the prince was looking forward exploring the huge, vibrant world the game had to offer. 

“So, do you actually use glyph magic?” Asriel sounded genuinely curious as he talked to Noir using the voice-chat function Discard provided.

“Yeah, I do, though I also use melee. Glyph magic is tons of fun once you get the hang of it, see,” the human replied excitedly as he demonstrated a harmless incantation. A gigantic beam of colorful light shot into the sky, splitting into a thousand tiny rays that hailed down onto the world, drawing in the attention of the nearby NPCs. Usually this would mean utter death and destruction to everything within radius, but thanks to a single, additional glyph, the spell was reduced to noting more than a fancy light show.

“What the hell was that?” the prince exclaimed in amazement, jaw nearly shattering as it hit the floor. “I though glyph magic was the most complex mechanic the game had to offer? You make using it look way too easy.”

“It is rather difficult to pick up and even more difficult to master. But it’s also the most overpowered mechanic in the game,” Noir happily chirped back. “Just imagine. You can shoot an icicle that deals massive frost damage and then explodes, dealing AOE fire damage. The possibilities are endless. Pair it with enchanted melee weapons and you got yourself a gamebreaker.”

Noir’s example looked rather bland and boring compared to the trick he pulled off just a second ago. Why bother with explosive icicles if you can lay waste to an entire town by shooting rainbow lasers from the sky?

“Yeah, but it’s so ridiculously hard to use. When I first started playing I tried using it, but gave up once they tried to explain how the system actually works. I have no idea who came up with it, but I think however it was deserves to be punched in the face,” Asriel complained, and for a good reason. It was due to the immense complexity that he, and many other players, avoided the glyph magic system like the plague. “Anyway, what do you want to do?”

“How about we try to find the shifting city? You know, the first in a series of hidden endgame dungeons,” the human suggested eagerly. If Asriel could see his face, he’d quickly see how Noir’s eyes were beaming with excitement.

“Sound’s good to me,” the monster quickly agreed to the human’s plan, finding himself curious about what the series of dungeons had to offer. “Do you know where it is?”

“Nope. All I know is, that there are several entrances across the world. There’s always at least one that is open at a given time, though there is no way of telling which one it is. They’re supposed to lead inside the dungeon,” Noir sounded enthusiastic, despite the lack of a lead.

“So we know there’s something out there, we just don’t know where?” the prince summarized, ready to go explore the world the game presented.

“I do know where a few of those entrances are located, I just don’t know when they open,” Noir remained surprisingly cheerful. Video games really make him come alive.

“What are we waiting for then?” the prince, eager to finally get to playing the game, spoke in an almost rushed tone. “Lead the way.”

Noir, even though no one could see it, nodded and checked the world map. He and Asriel were currently located in Feria, Zalferia’s capital. The closest possible entrance to the shifting city would be somewhere deep inside the silverfall woods, no-man’s-land far to the east of the kingdom. 

“Well, we’ve got a long way to go,” the human began with fading enthusiasm. “Seriously, it’s going to take us an hour or two to get there and there’s no guarantee the entrance’s actually open.” 

Asriel quickly deployed the shrug gesture from the gesture menu. “That’s fine, let’s go.”

So the adventure began with the most boring part, two friends preparing for their journey. Resupplying on healing items, improving equipment and planning the route.

“What do you think about Twisted Fates 3 so far?” Asriel asked with curiosity as he browsed the vast selection of consumable items. Why were there so many consumable items? Sure, the game does allow it’s players to live the life they see fit but organic healing potions? Seriously?

“Amazing, the game’s simply amazing. There’s so much to do that you could play the game for a thousand years and still experience a unique playthrough,” Noir praised the game with adoration while he waited for Asriel to finish his preparations.

“Ugh, of course I’m missing one thing,” the prince groaned in annoyance as he realized he needed only one more specific thing to upgrade his weapon.

“What is it?” the human inquired, seemingly ready to help his friend out.

“A curse-shrouded sinew. Getting one is way too annoying. Those stupid dragons you have to fight in the volcanic caves are so damn annoying,” Asriel whined, frustrated he was so close to a new, even cooler weapon.

“I think I have one somewhere,” Noir’s voice sounded rather unsure. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

And with that, Noir’s character teleported away to some place far away, or maybe just the house he owned somewhere in the capital.

“Alright, uhm. This might take a moment,” the human spoke in an almost sheepish voice as he checked whether he had the item in question in his possession or not. “I really need to clear out my storage,” that part came out as more of a whisper.

“You keep everything you’re finding too?” the prince curiously inquired, feeling just how relatable the entire thing was.

“You never know when you might need a certain item, so it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Noir explained what all those RPG players feel when they pick up an item. “Though 5000 pebbles might be a little overkill.”

“Why would anyone need so many pebbles?” Asriel chuckled audibly. “Is there some sort of slingshot weapon in this game?”

“Yes, there is. Though I think I collected them so I can use them as a gravel bed for the aquarium I still haven’t finished. I’m honestly not that sure anymore,” the human replied with honesty.

“WAIT!” the prince called out in bewilderment, surprised by what the human said. “You can have an aquarium in this game?”

“There’s nothing you can’t do in this game,” Noir was completely blowing things out of proportion. In order to do everything player’s would have to install the official 18+ patch. And even then, certain depictions prohibited by real-world law are still off-limits. “If you really want to, you can kill everything and everyone in the game. Wouldn’t recommend doing that though, some NPCs are so ludicrously overpowered you’ll ragequit, the come back to try again only to ragequit once more.”

“What have done?” the prince asked with a hesitant, worried tone.

“Well, you see. On a different character I decided to be as evil as possible. You know, run around killing people, steal from them, cause kingdoms to go to war with each other. The usual stuff,” Asriel was dumbfounded, not by what Noir just told him but rather by the fact the game allowed you to do such things. “Turns out, some characters won’t even bother fighting you unless you either provoke them too much or they deem it necessary. It’s those NPCs that can kill you in less than a second if you’re not careful, or fight them for the first few times.”

“Did you manage to beat them?” Asriel was almost eager to find out more about being the bad guy in the game, especially since being the bad guy in real life turned rather dull after the bajillionth time. Killing the same people countless of times does get rather boring if you do it over and over again.

“Not yet. I have a plan though. I’ll create a backup of this save file and use it to go full evil,” Noir was seemingly ready to take on the toughest challenges had to offer. “Anyway, I found what you were looking for.”

With a bright flash of light, the human teleported back to the marketplace and promptly send Asriel a trade request. He quickly accepted and was not only presented with the item he needed, he also got to see Noir’s equipment. And he was amazed. The human was using exclusively endgame-level equipment. Lesser celestial tier to be exact, which clearly outclassed Asriel and his early late-game gear.

“How long did you grind to get all this gear and how many celestials did have you to kill?” the monster questioned, dreading the thought of spending thousands of hour farming for items. Still something he’d rather do than going to school though.

“Not long at all. The enemies that drop the items you need are seriously tough though. Their HP can reach billions and they hit like a truck on steroids. Expect some seriously long and grueling fights,” Noir replied as he selected the item Asriel needed, pleasantly surprising him. Sure beats farming the same monster for hours because you need that one item with a 1% drop chance.

“Cool, you get a difficult but rewarding fight,” the caprine replied, happy with the answer he got. “Do you want anything for that curse-shrouded sinew?”

“Nah, you can have it for free. Got plenty of these stored away,” the human decided to just give away the rather difficult to acquire item. 

“Really? Thanks,” Asriel happily accepted the generous offer his friend presented him with and promptly used his newly acquired possession to craft a new weapon.

Now, finally equipped with a weapon barely fitting to take on the endgame challenges the game had to offer, Asriel decided to give it a few swings, in the middle of a crowded marketplace. Needless to say, all those digital beings didn’t quite appreciate that. Some even called him idiot. 

“Stop swinging that thing around like that. Last thing you want is to piss of the guards around here,” the human warned his friend in a slightly irritated tone, watching how things almost went south a few times. “Seriously, kill one of the NPCs by accident and you’re in for a whole world of hurt.”

“Whoops, sorry. Just got a little excited there,” the furred monster gave a quick apology, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

“Anyway, looks like we’re ready to go,” Noir announced, ready to finally embark on the journey to the silverfall woods.

“Definitely,” Asriel announced with courage. “What’s the route?”

“Just follow me,” the human requested, and Asriel did just that.

And so, the two left the capital filled to the brim with digital, AI-controlled life. The magnificent city that was Feria become more and more distant as the friends followed the paved roads, only to quickly wander off straight into the wilderness. Soon enough, the music changed from calm and elegant exploration music, to faster, more dangerous combat music. It was clear that something hostile spotted the two friends during their exploration of the game’s open world.

“Hey, uhm. Why is the music changing if there are no enemies nearby?” Asriel asked, clearly unsettled by fact that energetic music was playing to what equals a casual stroll through a green meadow. 

“Pretty sure that means…,” Noir was cut off mid-sentence by the lightning fast attack of the enemy in question narrowly missing him. “Knew it. It’s one of those things.”

“Of course it has to be a clawed demon,” the prince groaned in annoyance. “Fuck those things, they’re so damn annoying.”

Noir didn’t reply. He didn’t do anything in fact, almost as if his connection decided that this was the perfect moment to fail on him. And the enemy continued to slowly move around him in a circle, ready to strike at any moment. Then, in a flash, the clawed demon rushed in with the same, lightning fast motion from before.

The sound of metal colliding, which usually indicating the parry of an attack with another attack, was chopped off. The entire game stopped, at least for Asriel, with the colors on the screen now inverted. It left he prince dumbfounded at what just happened. Was it a bug? Did the game crash? Only a few seconds later, and everything returned to normal. The demon now dead on the ground and Noir’s character seemingly moved forward a little.

“What the hell just happened?” Asriel exclaimed, befuddled by the events that just played out.

“Chronostasis, it’s a weapon enchantment that activates when you perfectly parry an enemy’s melee attack with your own,” Noir explained, much to Asriel’s amazement. “Chronostasis freezes everyone within the area that isn’t immune to the effect for a couple of seconds, making them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.”

“That is soooooo coooool,” the prince was now utterly impressed. “And it sounds so ridiculously OP.”

“Not really. Plenty of late- and endgame bosses, as well as plenty of endgame enemy types are immune to it,” Noir replied, quickly putting a damper on Asriel’s overly enthusiastic state. “That reminds me, you probably want something to protect you from the effect, right?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” the monster prince agreed and was promptly met with another trade request.

“Do you have a free ring slot?” the human asked in a rather plain tone.

“Yeah, I do,” the prince’s reply was equally plain and seconds later, he had a new ring in his possession, which he quickly equipped. “Thanks, again.”

With that out of the way, the journey continued but was quickly interrupted again when a voice called for Asriel.

“Asriel, come downstairs, dinner is ready,” Toriel called her son for dinner.

“Ugh,” Asriel groaned, displeased that his mother interrupted his precious gaming time. “I’m coming,” he called back, more annoyed than anything.

“Guess we’ll have to take a break here,” Noir sounded a little disappointed. 

“Yeah. Talk to you later,” the prince clearly didn’t like the fact he had to go downstairs for dinner. Why can’t he eat by himself in his room like every teenager that doesn’t want to spend time with their parents does?

Asriel, albeit grudgingly, logged out of the online session and moved downstairs. He didn’t even feel that hungry, yet alone felt like spending time with his ‘family’, or rather what little is left of it. When can he move out already, life at home was becoming more and more unbearable by the second.

A voice, familiar in the worst sense possible, came from the kitchen, becoming more and more clear as the caprine approached it. The clattering noises, they belong to a certain skeleton with a face that was just begging to be rearranged with a spiked metal bat. Could dinner turn out to be any worse than it already was? Of course it could.

Once Asriel step inside the kitchen, he saw what exactly his mother cooked up. A chunk of meat, probably with little to no seasoning, a white mush that could’ve resembled mashed potatoes at some point in time, same dark brown liquid that might be sauce and way too many peas. Out of all the dishes in the world, Toriel had to cook up that one thing Asriel hated the most. A bunch of stuff with no taste or seasoning at all.

The prince internally screamed in agony. The day started out so nice, getting out of bed, taking a nap during class and playing video games. And now he had to sit down at the kitchen table with a mother that qualifies for the worst mother of the year award, the human responsible for his misery and Sans, the second biggest, most useless asshole he has ever met. 

What was he doing here anyway, other than wasting oxygen? That bastard would always try to ruin what little relationships Asriel managed to build for himself, not a single timeline was exempt. And what was his excuse? Asriel was too dangerous, deranged, insane, a menace to the world around him, unstable, unpredictable, could switch back to the mindset of his alter ego at any moment. No doubt about it, he’d try again this timeline.

The prince sat down at the seat closest to the exit, shooting a hateful glare at everyone in the room. At this point he even considered just ditching the ‘family’ dinner and calling Noir to ask if he’d like to grab some food at the nearby fast-food joint.

Toriel gave her son a sunny smile, despite the rather abrasive attitude he presented, and began talking in her sweet, motherly voice: “Asriel, I’d like to introduce you to…”

“I don’t care, Mom!” her son rudely cut her off mid-sentence, rolling his eyes at her, groaning in annoyance. “Sans can go jump off a cliff for all I care.”

The ex-queen was in utter shock and her jaw nearly broke through the table on it’s way down. She knew Asriel was difficult ever since he came back from the dead, but this was beyond anything she could’ve ever imagined. And it shattered her heart. Just how bad was her relationship with her son, why did he hate her so much, where did she go wrong? All those thoughts, all those blames she put on herself, they made that agonizing feeling return. That feeling of being a failure of a mother that burned like the cut of a rusty knife, barely sharp enough to cut through flesh. It made her want to throw up.

“Looks like someone GOAT up the wrong the side of bed today,” the trash bag with the shit-eating grin joked, shooting glares at Asriel.

“Shut up, dickhead,” Asriel almost shouted at the skeleton, already fed up with his shenanigans.

“Asriel, that is very rude,” Toriel reminded her son, speaking to him in the stern tone she rarely ever used.

Again, Asriel simply rolled with his eyes, clearly irritated by Sans’s presence. “So what?” he didn’t even bother looking at his despairing mother, his reply alone signaling that he cared very little about what was and wasn’t considered rude. 

Whatever mood dominated the kitchen before Asriel’s arrival was now definitely dead, brutally murdered by no other than the prince himself. Gone was the atmosphere of a family that cared for each other, Asriel brought in the aura of ‘fuck you and fuck everything’ and it cloaked the table in an oppressive silence.

Royally pissed, Asriel began poking around in the tasteless mush his mother cooked up, arguing with himself whether it could still be considered food or not. His mother was a talented cook, he couldn’t deny that, but whenever she made this exact dish it was just awful, detestable even. He still tried something in hopes that, through some miracle, it turned out halfway edible. It didn’t, still the same, tasteless crap he would love to forget about. Nothing, absolutely no taste whatsoever. It tasted just like lukewarm water.

“Fuck this, I might as well eat my own fur. Sure tastes better than whatever this shit is,” Asriel called out with no regard for anybody’s feelings and stomped back upstairs, leaving behind an utterly devastated mother, a small but pissed skeleton and a human that knew they could no longer fix the mess they turned Asriel into.

Back in his room, Asriel began to search for something edible. He had to have something, somewhere. Halloween candy from last year tucked away somewhere in the closet, the molten and solidified remains of a chocolate Santa from last Christmas, gummy snakes from god knows when hiding in places he otherwise would have never bothered checking. There just had to be something edible in his room. Even the dry and dead houseplant sitting on his windowsill looked a lot more appealing than it usually does.

There wasn’t, at least nothing that wouldn’t give him a serious food poisoning. He knew perfectly well that dying would only set him back on his plans. Looks like he has to raid the fridge later tonight. 

“Heya, kiddo,” that familiar voice from earlier appeared right behind Asriel, causing him to groan in annoyance for yet another time.

“Fuck off,” the prince spat back in response, not even bothering to turn around to face the skeleton he loathed.

“You’ve been pretty rude to your mother, you know?” Sans spoke it that usual ‘can’t be bothered to get off my ass’ type of voice.

“So? It’s not like she’s going to remember any of it next time Frisk decides it’s time to reset again,” the prince replied in a bitter, jaded tone.

“You might want to rethink your attitude,” the skeleton continued, but was quickly interrupted. 

“Oh look, the spooky, scary skeleton that can’t even protect his childishly naive brother from a stupid child, is trying to threaten me,” Asriel replied with a scoffing laugh, the skeleton’s threat was nothing more than yet another stupid joke to him. “How many times did you watch your brother die? How many times couldn’t you be bothered to get off your lazy ass and intervene? Is that your thing? Does it turn you on, watching your brother die over and over again?”

Those words Asriel spoke, they have seemingly struck a nerve within Sans. The mere implication that the murder of his brother would be some sick fantasy of his utterly disgusted him.

“You better watch what you’re talking about, or else…”

“Else what? You’re gonna give me a bad time?” Asriel turned around to face the skeleton, speaking to him in a condescending voice. “Let me tell you a secret. I’m already having a bad time and having your ugly mug around isn’t helping me either. Besides, what are you going to do, kill me? If it wasn’t for those resets I’d say you’d be doing me a favor. But we both know what will happen when I, or anyone Frisk even remotely cares about bites the dust.”

Sans knew what Asriel was talking about and even though he hated to admit it, he knew that the prince was right. Killing him wasn’t an option. Besides, Asriel not only seemed a little too jaded to be intimidated, killing the prince would also be bad for Sans’s record.

The skeleton was about to say something, but Asriel interrupted him before he could get a word out, sounding like his already strained patience was running even thinner: “Say, didn’t I tell you to fuck off a minute ago? Get out of my room, and make sure you tumble down the stairs. I could use a good laugh.”

Sans realized that this conversation wasn’t going anywhere and did what was so politely asked of him. 

For the fist time today, Asriel sighed in relief. The walking pile of useless bones was finally out of his room. That didn’t change the fact that Asriel still felt like he could use a bite to eat. Now, he could just walk back into the kitchen and make himself something to eat but that would mean he had to be in the presence of Sans, and more importantly, Frisk. Fortunately, he had a plan B at hand.

Asriel grabbed his phone and, instead of messaging Noir, decided to just call him right away. And the phone began ringing, and ringing, and ringing. 

Then, after third ring, Noir finally picked up and his rather neutral voice, a welcome change from the skeletons annoying clattering, came through the speaker: “Hey Asriel.”

“Hi, uhm. Did you already eat dinner today?” the prince spoke in a sheepish tone, a drastic change from what he sounded like before.

“I just finished cooking diner for myself, so I was right about to eat,” the human replied, the sound of something sizzling in the pan audible in the background.

“Oh, okay,” Asriel replied before Noir could continue, seemingly disappointed. “See you.”

He hung up on his friend and dropped onto his bed. Looks like this timeline would end up even worse than he first anticipated. It was one of those, where his mother would ditch Asgore for a stupid skeleton. Why she would do that was, and always will be a mystery to him. Why would someone with more than two functioning brain cells prefer a skeleton, who’s only good for making stupid, overused puns and maybe act as a doorstopper over literally anything else? Are standards these days really that low? 

So Asriel was lying on his bed, listlessly staring at the ceiling, just hoping for a miracle to happen. He didn’t want to go downstairs, where he had to face all those people he hated. Only thing left for him to do, was try to get some sleep in, at least until his mother went to bed. Then he’d sneak downstairs and check the fridge for something edible. It was almost laughable, the fact that Asriel saw the need to sneak downstairs so he wouldn’t have to face his mother, or the people she brought in.

Eventually Asriel began to doze off, falling into a state of dreamless, restless slumber. By the time the growling of his stomach stirred the monster awake again, night has befallen the world outside, cloaking it in pitch black darkness. Unsurprisingly, Asriel felt even worse than before his little nap.

Feeling as if he got ran over by an entire army of trucks, Asriel crawled out of his bed. Drained, lifeless, lethargic, hollow inside, that’s how he felt as he navigated to the door of his room and down the stairs. 

Just like earlier, sounds came from the kitchen as he drew closer to it. But this time, it wasn’t the annoying sound of a clattering skeleton. It was the sound of a devastated mother, sobbing as she shed cold, bitter tears. Toriel spend another night awake, crying her heart out. Everything was just a mess and she felt as if it was solely her fault. 

Things weren’t suppose to be like this after the barrier broke. It was supposed to be the start of a new, happier life. And now? Now she felt even worse than before the barrier broke, before Asriel came back. What was meant to be a happy family living together turned out to be a nightmare beyond anything she could have imagined. 

Where her doubts justified? Was she really such a terrible mother? Perhaps the day Asriel first died was meant as a sign that she was never meant to be a mother in the first place. But why? She loved her children, she’d do everything for them, wanting nothing more than the best life possible for them. She was a good mother, she knew she was. So why was she haunted by those doubts? 

Seems like raiding the fridge was out of question. 

Asriel snuck back upstairs, leaving his crying mother by her lonesome self. Once upstairs, he dropped by the bathroom to take care of the dental hygiene he skipped earlier. Then, it was off to bed again, the awfully uncomfortable bed that felt like sleeping on a slab of concrete. He hated living with his mother, he wanted to get out, anywhere that wasn’t here. But he was still too young to move out. 

As the prince drifted off to sleep once more, he dreamed. He dreamed of his perfect little world where he woke up next to the love of his life, looking at them with a loving smile. The details of their face were blurry, unrecognizable, like a fuzzy veil concealed their face. It was nothing unexpected. After thousands of time’s Asriel fell in love, all those faces kind of tend to get fuse together into a blurry mess. 

A quick but sweet kiss, declarations of undying love, a new day spend with the most wonderful person in his life. Nothing could take this away from him, he was in control of his own life again, the resets now a thing of the past. It was such a simple life he dreamed off, but it seems as if that was all it would ever be. A dream, forever unfulfilled, that gave him that tiny bit of comfort that kept him from fully turning into a hollow shell of what he once used to be. All that kept him going was the constantly dwindling hope that one day, he’ll end the resets and find his true love.

Night has passed and the prince began to slowly wake up from his uneasy sleep. It was another beautiful Saturday, probably somewhere around 10 AM. Bleary-eyed, the prince began his late morning by picking out his clothes or rather picking up the clothes he worse yesterday. He wasn’t going anywhere today, yet, so why bother picking out fresh clothes? 

Dressed and still hungry, Asriel began walking downstairs. This time, he wouldn’t give a damn if anyone was already in the kitchen. If there’s someone he doesn’t like, he’d just grab his wallet and eat breakfast somewhere else. Alternatively he could just go and grab the box of cereal from the kitchen and take it to his room. They might be as dry as a fart in the desert, but it’s better than spending more time than absolutely necessary with whoever might be downstairs.

He didn’t even need to enter the kitchen, he already knew that it was occupied just by the sounds coming from it. Even more clattering, which made him want to set the house he’s currently in ablaze. But that wasn’t an option, at least not yet. Though he did have to ask himself, why was Sans here? Did he came back before Asriel woke up, or did he never bothered to leave in the first place? 

Speaking of leaving, that was what Asriel decided to do. So he grabbed his phone, wallet and keys and made for a quick exit. Without anyone even knowing he was awake in the first place, he left the house. There should be a diner nearby. It wasn’t the perfect place, but given the situation Asriel thought himself to be in, it was as good a place as any.

After several minutes of walking around, the prince somehow managed to arrive at his destination. The very first diner that started a successful chain of diners all over the globe, opened by no other than Grillby himself. Probably not exactly the place Asriel want’s to be in, especially considering Sans and Grillby were good friends, but he was hungry.

Without further thinking about it, Asriel pushed the doors to the diner open and the eyes of the patrons, startled by who came in through the doors, immediately locked onto him. The interior was the same as it was in Grillby’s underground pub. The bar with a wide selection of beverages, a jukebox that actually worked and various tables. Wooden flooring and wallpapered walls gave the place it’s very own, unique charm.

As the prince approached the bar, the various patrons returned to what it was they were doing before. The only pair of eyes still on him were the ones of the fiery bartender. The presence of the prince was surprising, to say the least. Even more so, when he sat down at the counter as if he was about to order some really expensive brandy. 

“I’d like some breakfast,” the listless prince ordered with a tone that clearly indicated his disinterest.

The elemental continued to look at Asriel, hardly audible words coming from between the crackling flames.

“Just, I dunno, french toast,” Asriel replied, just wanting something, anything for breakfast.

Grillby nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the caprine to sit by himself. It was a sad sight to behold. A teenager, no older than 13 years, ditching his mother and sitting by himself at a dinner. It only served to further highlight the rift that tore the family apart and just how spiteful Asriel has grown. Was he ashamed about it? No, quite the opposite. He saw himself in the right. To him, cutting his mother out of his life was the right thing to do, since she only proved to be detrimental to his wellbeing.

A few minutes of waiting later, and Grillby returned with a plate of french toast, complete with wild berries and a dash of maple syrup. The prince quickly began to eat, by now feeling like there’s a hole in his stomach, screaming to be filled. And he loved the taste of it, the slightly crisp exterior with the fluffy interior of the toast, paired with the taste of the berries and the sweetness of the maple syrup. He didn’t took the time to savor it though, he was a little too hungry for that. 

Once Asriel finished his breakfast, he payed what he owned and left, though he felt like he had nowhere to go. Perhaps Noir would like to hang out, it was worth a shot. 

Just as he was about to press the call button on Noir’s number, a police car pulled up from around the corner and stopped in front of Asriel, who could feel his heart sink into his pants. His mother found out that he was gone.

“Are you Asriel Dreemurr?” the officer inside the car asked in a non-threatening voice.

The prince nodded in response, feeling as if he royally screwed up this time. “Yes, I am.” 

A minor visiting a diner wasn’t against the law, was it?

“You’re mother is looking for you and she’s really, really worried,” the officer continued, speaking to Asriel like the child he was but also wasn’t. He groaned internally, unwilling to deal with what will undoubtedly happen next. “Would you like us to give you a ride back home?”

He reluctantly agreed, knowing full well that denying the offer would only cause a scene he really didn’t want to deal with. Either that or he’d get shot.

“What made you walk around town all by your self, little guy?” a different officer asked in a kind voice as the monster child sat down in the back of the car. “The city’s a dangerous place for a child like yourself.”

“I just got out to eat breakfast,” Asriel replied, hoping it would be a good enough answer.

“Your mother made breakfast for you, and she was really scared when she couldn’t find you,” the pointless talk continued. Asriel knew his mother made him breakfast and he knew she would be worried about him. He simply didn’t care, he didn’t want to be around his mother, or Sans, or Frisk.

The prince remained silent, faking a guilty expression to give of the impression that he felt bad for what he did. He really didn’t, but that was something nobody was supposed to know.

“Well, here we are,” the officer driving the car spoke, stopping once they pulled into the driveway. They exited and lead Asriel back to the front door, ringing the doorbell. 

Toriel rushed to the door and, once she realized who it was, threw her arms around her son. Asriel didn’t enjoy it one bit but he had no other choice but to endure it, seeing that his mother was still taller than he was. And wiggling out of her arms would probably make the police suspicious.

“Thank you so much for finding my son,” Toriel thanked the officer with tears in her eyes.

“Just doing our job ma’am,” the officer replied and turned his attention back to Asriel, ruffling the hair on his head. “And you be careful young man. No more running off on your own, promise?”

“I promise” the teen replied with a nod, still feigning guilt.

“Alright. Have a nice day,” with that, the officer finally left.

Toriel carried her son inside, and sat him on the couch in the living room, looking at him with an angry, disapproving expression.

“Just what where you thinking, running off like that?” she shouted furiously, arms flailing like a fish out of water. “Do you know how worried I was?”

Asriel simply shrugged dismissively. He couldn’t bring himself to care even if he tried.

His mother was utterly shocked by this reaction. How could her own flesh and blood be so inconsiderate? Did Asriel really hate her that much? Was that the reason he cared so little about his own mother? But why would he, why would he hate her? Was it because she blamed his imagination when Asriel told her all about his fears and nightmares?

Seeing that his mother was mentally absent for the moment, Asriel tried to make the most of it and attempted to sneak back into his room. Unfortunately his mother noticed, and she didn’t appreciate Asriel’s attempt to run off again.

“Where do you think you’re going mister?” She shouted after him, furious that he’d just try to run away again. “You are grounded for the rest of the month. That means NO meeting friends and absolutely NO electronics. Understood?”

The runaway prince let out a long, exasperated sigh. This was the last thing he needed in his life right now, though it really didn’t matter all that much. He was halfway through March, he could go for two weeks without electronics. Besides, he could use that time to catch up on the manga he was reading. Or he could work on his plan to stop the resets and reclaim his life. That sounded like a far better idea than reading manga. He’d probably do both anyway. 

With a goal in mind, he returned to his room and sat down in front of his desk. There he would think, sketch, write down, scrap and start over until nightfall. By the end of the day, he had a vague concept of what is plan should entail.

While Asriel was devising his devious scheme, Toriel began confiscating his electronics, all while under the impression that Asriel was using in involuntary free time to study. She even went so far as to take the SIM card out of Asriel’s phone. 

Once it was time for bed, Asriel would look through the manga stash his mother was allowed to see and continue where he left off. A story about a boy, afflicted by a devilish curse that turned him into a monster. Shunned by the world around him, he retreats himself from society, never stepping outside without covering as much of his body as possible. In the most cliché manner possible, the curse could only be broken by a true love’s kiss and only before the last new moon of fall, because reasons. A human falls in love with the protagonist, who was too afraid to reveal how he really looked to his partner. So, in order to keep his true identity a secret, he constructed a web of lies to keep hiding himself. It was on the last day, that the protagonist explained his situation to his love. They kiss, the curse wasn’t lifted, they stayed together anyway because love always wins. A generic feelgood story with a generic feelgood ending and feelgood message.

The prince didn’t know why he was such a sucker for those stories. Maybe it’s because they depict a loving relationship between a human and a monster where both parties deeply care for each other. They showed one of the things Asriel longed for. Someone that loves him, someone that is there for him, someone that can hold him close and comfort him whenever he was feeling terrible. Soon, soon he would have all that and so much more. The plan he started working on began to slowly take shape. The first ideas were already written down as bullet points.


	5. The Scheme

March, and the grounding associated with it, slowly came to an end. The prince, tired of sitting around all day with nothing to do, welcomed that fact seeing that it meant he could spend time with his friend again. Those past two weeks were among the most boring so far. All he could do was either sit around all day, twiddling his thumbs in boredom, read manga or work on his plan on how to take control of time.

Even with all the time in the world, his plan hasn’t made any progress whatsoever and more and more sketches and drafts began littering his already cluttered desk. Every new paper added to his ever growing pile, made him feel more like a conspiracy theorist trying to prove a bollocks theory, than a prince trying to get his life back together. 

At this point, he didn’t even remember what half of those sketches and drafts meant. For all he knows, they could be poorly written stories of the life he so much longed for. Maybe it was time to review what he had so far and discard everything that doesn’t advance his plans.

Asriel sighed at the size of the chaotic pile. The day was pretty much over, and if he would start sifting through his notes now he wouldn’t be done until sunrise. So he decided to call it a day, dropped on his bed and grabbed a manga from his bedside table.

As the listless prince lied on his bed, flipping through whatever booklet he grabbed without paying too much attention, Toriel decided to barge in without having the decency of knocking beforehand. What is it with parents lacking common courtesy?

“What?” Asriel glared daggers at his mother as he spoke in an agitated tone, annoyed by the fact his mother once again interrupted his me time. There wasn’t really a point in time where she wouldn’t be interrupting his me time, but that’s neither here nor there.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m going out for dinner tonight,” Toriel, despite her son’s toxic attitude, kept her motherly tone, still holding on to the hope that she could somehow salvage this broken relationship. Her sweet and innocent cinnamon bun was still in there, she just knew it.

“Seriously? You could at least wait until they served dad’s death sentence before starting to date other people. You aren’t even divorced yet,” the previously agitated expression on Asriel’s face shifted to something more closely resembling disgust. “Is dating a skeleton even legal?” he scoffed, looking at his mother with a mocking expression. 

Another knife to the heart, again she felt as if she failed as a mother. Slowly, Toriel began to feel like everything she did, she did wrong. No matter what she tried, Asriel continued to look down at her. The dream she once had, the dream of being a happy family living together on the surface, was utterly shattered. The shards ground to dust and spread in the wind. With that feeling burdening her aching heart, she left the room.

Once he had his peace again, Asriel continued to flip through the pages, sinking back into one of the many fictional worlds his collection offered. It was one of the very few, precious opportunities that offered him a moment of peace in this hopeless world he thought himself to be in. 

But this short moment of respite would only last until he’d fall asleep. Then it’s off into the world of grotesque nightmares that lived, deep within his mind. 

It was too soon that he found himself back in the world of his nightly terrors, where the memories of his past crimes and all those horrors he witnessed chased after him like a blood-starved beast. All of it amplified by his fears.

Over and over again, he had to relieve the same horrors. How he killed and tortured every monster in the underground, how Flowey would rip all those people he loved to shreds and how Frisk would murder every person Asriel held dear whenever Chara took over. 

And all he could do was to helplessly watch the multitude of horrors unfold as every scream echoed in his mind, growing louder and louder with each echo bouncing back and forth between the walls of darkness. Every single droplet of blood that hit him in those dreams felt like it would burn a hole straight through him. And all the while, he would be watched by those that suffered in his dreams, their hideously contorted faces accusing him of all they had to suffer through. 

He wanted it to stop, but in his dreams he was nothing more than a viewer, watching the silver screen that presented the constant loop of horror.

All those horrid images often lingered long after he’d wake up again, haunting him well past his dreams. He didn’t believe there would be a remedy for that. Even if he finds his happiness, those images were forever etched into his mind, like the cursed knowledge of an eldritch evil beyond mortal comprehension. They would haunt his existence until the end of time.

A fleeting eternity of nightmares later, and the sun returned to the sky. The knackered prince lethargically rolled out of bed, almost faceplanting as he fell off the edge. Who need’s sleep anyway? Sleep was overrated. 

The morning proceeded as usual, with Frisk stealing all the hot water as they hogged the bathroom and Asriel wanting to set fire to the world. Only difference today was that Sans was there, which caused the urge to set everything ablaze to flare up even more. 

Seriously, what is it that his mother finds so appealing about Sans? His puns were abysmal at best, he was the epitome of lazy, kneedeep in debt and reeked of ketchup 24/7. He doesn’t even function as a doorstopper since he turns to dust with with nothing more than a single slap across the face.

“Morning kid,” the loathed skeleton spoke in a voice that sounded just as lazy as he was. Knowing Sans, there probably was a pun hidden in his greeting.

“Shut up,” the disgruntled prince growled back as he snatched the box of cheap, no-brand cereal, pouring it’s content into a ceramic bowl he grabbed of the counter. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Sans or anything even remotely related to him so he just took his bowl upstairs, not even bothering to pour milk into it. And he always poured milk into his cereal. No exceptions, well, almost no exceptions.

When it comes to being around Sans or eating dry cereal, the latter was the preferable option. He could try running off again, but that would end up make everything even worse than it already is. So eating a bowl of dry cereal alone in his room it is.

Once he was done eating, it was time to go and waste another day at his not so beloved school. Once again, he moved back downstairs, grabbed that tacky schoolbag his mother bought him for his first day and made for the bus stop. And said bus stop was still a complete mess. At least someone had the decency to clean up the mess of broken glass that was left behind. 

Almost perfectly matching Asriel’s arrival, the bus showed up, complete with its sun bleached, school-bus yellow color. The breaks were screeching bloody murder as they desperately tried to halt the motorized metal casket. The one question that remained was whether it would arrive at it’s destination or not. Considering the engine sounded like it was about to perform an interpretive dance of an erupting volcano, it was quite likely he wouldn’t survive the bus ride. 

Somehow, and through what could only be described as some sort of miracle, the deathtrap on wheels did manage to reach the school without exploding. It didn’t make the way back though. Only seconds after it began moving again, the engine blew up in a cloud of thick, black smoke, signaling that it was now officially out of commission. Only surprise here is that it didn’t happen sooner and that nobody got hurt.

Having somehow survived yet another bus ride, Asriel walked straight to class, where he’d spent the next seven hours in. Of course, they dragged on for so much longer than should legally be allowed. And if that wasn’t bad enough already, recess felt so short that it was often over before it even started. It was well spend though.

He talked to Noir about pretty much whatever it was that came to his mind, well almost. If he were to start venting about all the stuff that happened in his past, Noir would probably call him crazy and leave, which was something Asriel would rather try to avoid. Sooner or later, he’d tell Noir about his past, but not today. 

By the end of the school day Asriel was none the wiser about what makes Noir tick, but he did have a nice chat with him. All he did find out was, that Noir was a bit of a loner, surrounding himself with only a very carefully selected group of friends which, to no ones surprise, consisted of only Asriel. That was something Asriel had already figured out on his own.

The days that followed were everything but exciting. More rambling of his mother who still tried to reconnect with him, more Sans, which was almost as bad as the constant resets, and who could forget all those lovely nightmares that deprived Asriel of what little sleep he got. Even though things were as terrible as always, he still kept going. There was a clear goal in his mind that he was in pursuit of, and he’d reach it one way or another. So far, he felt like he was making progress. 

As the weeks passed and middle school drew to an end, summer and all the plights it brought came near, including the shedding of his winter coat. On the bright side, with finals almost finished, summer break was right around the corner. 

After a short, final day of finals that felt way too long, Asriel was back on his way home once more, with Noir accompanying him. 

“How do you think you did on your finals?” Noir inquired with a hint of curiosity as he walked alongside the prince.

“Meh, we’ll see,” Asriel shrugged with his shoulders, voice sounding almost dismissive. He was quite confident that he aced through finals like he did all those previous resets.

“You got any plans for summer break so far?” feeling a little bit chatty, Noir continued to keep the conversation going.

“Not really. I’ll probably waste most of my time playing video games,” the prince gave anther simple reply, not wanting to beat Noir over the head with all the issues he faced at home. It was still a little too soon for that, considering they’ve only know each other for two and a half months. Some consider this a long time, but Asriel simply didn’t want to take any risks.

“Ditto,” Noir chuckled slightly, as he came to a halt. “That means we have plenty of time to play Twisted Fates together, right?”

“Yeah,” having almost forgotten about that, Asriel perked up with newfound vigor in his voice. “And we don’t even have to bother ourselves with studies or homework since it’s summer break.”

Despite the fact the original school bus blew up about two months ago, the school still couldn’t arrange for a reliable replacement. Or maybe they didn’t care enough to organize one. Either way, it forced the students to wait for prolonged periods of time. None of them were too pleased with that, especially the ones that had to switch buses at a later stop.

“I’m not sure what you’re going to do, but I’m walking home,” Noir spoke up again, not willing to wait for who knows how long.

“You’re seriously going to walk?” Asriel, seemingly surprised Noir would rather take the long route than wait for an indefinite amount of time, asked for confirmation.

“Yes. instead of kicking my heels around here, I could be half way home already,” the human replied, sounding rather calm despite his answer. “Feel free to tag along if you want.”

Now Asriel had a choice to make. Go with Noir and walk all the way home, or wait for an eventual bus to arrive and drive home? Walk home with Noir or be lazy? The answer was clear as day. Calling his mother to pick him up was out of question for obvious reasons. 

“Hold on, I’m coming,” seeing that Noir had already decided to start walking, Asriel picked up pace and called after him in hopes he would stop so the prince would have a chance to catch up.

While not directly stopping, Noir did slow down a little until he was within arms reach.

“So, where exactly are we going?” unsure where exactly to go, Asriel decided to bring up that matter.

“Just follow me,” the human replied in the rather blunt manner that was rather common for him.

Noir seemed like a genuinely nice person, but over the past weeks Asriel noticed one major flaw about him. It was how he seemed to rarely show any sort of emotions, almost like he just flicked some switch in his brain that turned them off. There were those rare occasion where he appeared like a normal teen, but more often than not he seemed rigid, almost robotic. The lack of gestures and facial expression, paired with his often monotone voice gave an impression of general disinterest, making him appear unapproachable. It left Asriel wondering how exactly they became friends. It kind of just happened, despite Noir appearing cold most of the time.

And Asriel felt as if he knew exactly why Noir was that way, he’s been there himself. It’s nothing more than one big act he’s hiding behind. He could only speculate why, but he’d assume Noir is doing it for the same reason Asriel did way back when the resets haven’t even reached the double digits. Noir is trying to keep people away from him. The question is why? And why was he so quick to accept Asriel into his life?

With more questions than answers, Asriel continued to follow Noir through town with every step he took, discovering parts he has never seen before. This district offered plenty of diners and restaurants, a library that actually had it’s sign spelled correctly, a few shops and a very busy ice cream parlor, which Noir was seemingly heading for.

“I’m going to buy myself some ice cream,” Noir began, turning his head towards his fuzzy companion. “Would you like something too?”

“I’ve never been here before. I didn’t even knew this ice cream parlor existed,” Asriel’s honest reply almost shocked Noir. 

“What? Then you have to try this place out. They have the best ice cream in town, and it’s at a reasonable price too,” Noir grabbed Asriel by the arm and, without wasting another second, began dragging him towards the parlor. 

It was moments like this that left Asriel confused the most. Those moments were it seemed Noir would peek out of his shell and start acting at least a little more normal. And he softly smiled to himself, convinced that this was a part of Noir’s true self.

Asriel had no other choice but tag along as Noir dragged him past the various customers seated outside and through the glass door that lead inside. The inside of the parlor felt incredibly welcoming, like coming home from a long day of work to a loving partner and a delicious, home cooked meal. Flowers stood on the glass shelves above where the ice cream was located, while ice cream themed decorations adorned the interior.

“Ah Noir, great to see you again,” the owner of the parlor, a man in his senior years, extended his arms in an exaggerated manner as he personally welcomed the human like he was an old friend. “And I see you even brought a friend along.”

Noir replied with a vigorous nod, making a sound of affirmation. 

“The usual, I assume?” even though he already knew the answer, the owner still asked in the unlikely case Noir changed his mind. To no ones surprise, Noir nodded again. “And what about you?” the senior now turned his attention towards Asriel, who was eyeing the numerous flavors of ice cream with great curiosity. Among the classics and favorites like vanilla and chocolate, were several, more unconventional creations. Like dog treat flavored ice-cream? Probably for monsters.

Almost overwhelmed by the sheer variety of frozen treats, Asriel turned to Noir for help, his expression as clueless as the tone of his voice: “Which one would you recommend?”

Noir gave a bit of a smile in response and turned his head back to the owner, raising his hand with two fingers extended.

“Of course, coming right up,” and with that the owner quickly went to work, preparing the frozen treat that would surprise Asriel. 

The prince watched as the owner got to work on the cones of frozen goodness. And it wasn’t just as easy as slapping a few scoops of ice cream in a cone. No, not by a long shot. At first, the rather large cone was filled with a bed of whipped cream. Then, several scoops of vanilla ice cream were put in some sort of press? Asriel raised an eyebrow at that, an expression of confusion spreading across his furred face. The ice cream came out looking almost like spaghetti, which confused the goat even more. Why would you want your ice cream to look like spaghetti? Then, even more whipped cream was added, because there wasn’t enough of that in there already. The now almost finished cone was topped off with cherries and the sauce they came in. The same steps were repeated for the second cone. Certainly an interesting combination.

“That will be 7$,” the owner spoke with a smile as he placed the cones inside the bracket.

“Thanks Fabio,” Noir almost chirped in reply, placing the money in Fabio’s hand and picking up the cones, handing one over to Asriel.

“You’re welcome,” Fabio gave the duo a sincere smile before moving on to the next customer “Hope to see you again.” 

So the pair left the parlor, and while Noir was happily digging into his cone of ice cream, Asriel still tried to figure out just what it was he held in his hands. He felt almost stupid for not knowing what this was, other than the fact that it was ice cream of course. Why bother pushing it through some sort of weird press if you could just as well drop the scoop in the cone and add all the other stuff on top? Sure, it looked fancy, but that’s about it. 

“Is everything alright? You haven’t touched your ice cream yet,” Noir, who had almost finished his cone, looked at Asriel with a difficult to describe expression. It was almost like he was considering to express concern, but got stuck in the process of finalizing his decision. Basically, back to normal. “Dig in before it’s all molten.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” only now realizing that he just got treated for ice cream, Asriel decided that it would be rude not to enjoy the now half-liquefied treat. So he took a spoon full, making sure he’d get something of everything, and popped it into his mouth. The second he bit down on the cherry, his eyes widened and he hummed in pleasure. “This is really good.”

A smile began to sneak on Noir’s face, an honest and genuine smile. “Told you it’d be good,” he hummed in a satisfied tone, before continuing to eat away at what little was left of his own cone.

“But you didn’t,” the caprine spoke with careful hesitation, fearing that he might’ve just overheard something while he was lost in thought and now made himself look like an idiot.

“You’re right. I didn’t,” Noir placed his free hand on his chin, remembering that he, in fact, did not say anything of that sort. “Nevermind then.”

It might be a bit rude, but Asriel did find himself chuckling to himself ever so slightly. 

“By the way, what type ice cream is this? I never had anything like it before. And what’s it with those cherries? They’re delicious,” curious about what it was he got treated to, Asriel decided to inquire a little further.

“The ice cream itself is a deviation of spaghettieis. It’s called like that because the original resembles a plate of spaghetti with parmesan. The cherries are called Amarena cherries. Simply put, vanilla ice with sauce and cherries,” Noir began to quickly rattle down the details. “I actually suggested Fabio to add the original to the menu. It was such a hit he asked me for more suggestions. So I suggested my favorite deviation, plus a few extra ones. And since I helped him become more renowned around the city, he’s been giving me a small discount whenever I buy something.”

“What? Seriously? You get a discount at that ice cream parlor?” struck by disbelief, Asriel nearly dropped his cone on the ground. “That’s awesome!”

Noir kept his gaze on the road ahead in an attempt to hide the smile that continued to spread across his face. He clearly wasn’t the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. Meanwhile, Asriel trotted after him, drinking the now molten remains of his ice cream.

So the two continued on their way home, chatting about whatever menial topic come up along the way. 

Before they knew it, they were approaching familiar territory, the dilapidated bus stop quickly coming into view. It was seconds after they walked past what would’ve been their stop, had they waited for the replacement bus, said bus arrived. And all those students sitting inside looked absolutely thrilled about arriving home late. 

“Hey, looks like the bus finally arrived,” Noir spoke up, sounding almost sarcastic. That usually means he was being sarcastic, not that anyone ever picked up on that despite being told so numerous times.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Asriel replied with an almost mocking tone, having seemingly realized something that went over Noir’s head. “There’s just one problem. Usually it’s just me and Frisk at this stop. I think the bus driver messed up and took a bit of a detour.” With that realization in mind, Asriel couldn’t help but snicker to himself. 

“Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” Noir spoke up and abruptly changed the topic, showing a certain sense of curiosity.

“Not yet. I’ll probably end up playing video games again, seeing that that’s all there is to do for me,” despite how blunt Asriel’s statement was, he still sounded rather excited. Understandably so, video games were a lot more fun than school, studying or every other aspect of his life.

“Same,” Noir agreed, sounding like he was looking forward to killing time by playing games. “Let me know when you’re playing Twisted Fates. We can pick up where we left off.”

“Yeah, that sounds fun,” the prince replied in a cheery tone, certain that he’d enjoy this summer. “Think we can have sleepovers during summer break?”

“Yeah, pretty sure we can,” showing no sort of hesitation whatsoever, Noir quickly agreed to Asriel’s proposal. “My place or yours?”

“Yours is way more comfy and welcoming than mine,” Asriel stated. He didn’t want Noir to see how his life at home looked like.

“You don’t like living at home?” much to Asriel’s dismay, Noir seemed to have either picked up on the fact he tried to avoid spending time at home, or he simply jumped to the correct conclusion by accident. “You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you, right? That’s what friends are for,” the human looked at Asriel with genuine concern, certain that there was something going wrong in Asriel’s life.

That look, that tone of genuine concern, that feeling that welled up inside Asriel. There was no point in further denying it. Asriel was backed into a corner, and there was no way out of it other than to come clean. But he couldn’t, it was way too soon to tell Noir about everything that happened. But he doesn’t have to, does he? All he needs to do is tell part of what’s dragging him down, like how he’s no longer getting along with his mother, or how his father is sitting in death row.

“Well,” a hesitant sigh left Asriel’s throat shortly after he began. He wasn’t just unsure how to present this topic, he was downright scared that it might end up scaring Noir away. No, there was no way he could talk about this right now. “There’s a lot more to it than that. I promise, I’ll explain everything to you, just not today. It’s something very personal.”

“Don’t worry, I get it,” Noir gave a quick, reasuring smile that quickly dropped back to his neutral facade. “Just, please, if you feel like things are becoming too much, talk to me. I don’t know if I can actually help you fix the problem, but the least I can do is show that I care and listen.”

Asriel was taken aback by what Noir just said. He didn’t show it that often, but the human seemed to care about his friends quite a lot and it gave Asriel hope. It gave him the hope that Noir would be the one to help him find happiness. Maybe convincing Noir to hand over his SOUL would be a lot easier than Asriel first thought, especially once he finds a way to move the Noir of this timeline into the timeline he’d end up creating.

With an almost content smile, Asriel continued to saunter along the human, at least until he realized he was standing near the driveway up to his home. A rather generic home with a light gray, wooden facade and a garden that, while not in terrible shape, looked like it could use some work.

“Well, this is my place,” with a disheartened sigh, the caprine came to a stop. He’d much rather walk past his home and go over to Noir’s place.

The human gave the entire place a scrutinizing look, then turned back to face the prince. “It looks nice,” he spoke in an honest voice.

“Yeah, it would be a lot prettier if dad was here to take care of the garden though,” Asriel’s mood dropped even further. This wasn’t the first timeline where his father was wasn’t part of the family, but he still missed him. “Well I guess I’ll see you when we receive our final report card.”

“Yeah, see...” just as the human was about to say goodbye for the day, the front door opened and Toriel nearly rushed outside.

“Welcome home Asriel,” the queen greeted her son with her usual, motherly smile, only to then turn her attention towards the human he brought along. “Are you one of Asriel’s friends?”

Noir, feeling overrun by the current situation, replied with a simple nod.

“Wonderful,” Toriel clapped her hands in an elated fashion. “Would you like to come inside?”

Toriel’s question caused the human’s thoughts to flick back and forth like a metronome. His mother always told him not to go with strangers, but this wasn’t really a stranger but rather the mother of his friend. Besides that, he’d sooner or later enter Asriel’s home anyway, like when he’d eventually come over for a visit. But the way she reacted did made her seem a little bit suspicious. 

“I guess I can come in for a few minutes,” the human’s answer was hesitant and distrusting. 

And so, Toriel lead the human inside, her now frowning son following behind.

“Where’s Frisk?” the mother inquired with slight concern, as he approached the front door.

“Probably over at a friend’s place,” Asriel dismissively shrugged with his shoulders in response, the tone of his voice uncaring. As long as it doesn’t end up in another reset, Frisk could do whatever.

Once at the door, Noir was quickly lead inside by the hopeful mother. There was a light hint of cinnamon and butterscotch in the air as he entered the hallway.

“You can put your bag by the coatrack,” stopping halfway in the hallway, Toriel pointed towards hallstand. “So, what’s your name?”

“It’s Noir,” still feeling a little unsure, and maybe more than just a little anxious, the human replied with as few words as possible. 

“So you are Noir?” the mother questioned as if she expected something else. “Is that a nickname?”

On the off chance he wasn’t feeling uncomfortable already, he definitely did now. No one ever really cared too much about his name, even though it was a little unconventional. And it was making him fell quite nervous.

“Hey, seeing that you’re already here. Why don’t I show you my room?” Asriel picked up on the obvious discomfort Noir was experiencing at interjected.

Thankful for Asriel’s attempt to bail him out, Noir quickly scuttled over to where the goat was standing in hopes that Toriel would take the hint.

Toriel saw the entire situation as a good thing. Asriel made a friend he enjoyed spending time with, and that may just be the sign that he’s returning to his old self. There is hoping.

Asriel lead his friend upstairs and towards his room at the end of the hallway. Right when he was about to open the door and invite Noir inside, he remembered something rather important.

“Hey, uhm. My room’s kind of a real mess right now. I’ll do some real quick clean up, be right back,” with a rather hasty excuse, Asriel quickly disappeared into his room and made sure to stuff all of his drafts and sketches inside the drawer of his desk. Noir wasn’t supposed to those plans. Nobody was.

As quickly as he vanished inside his room, he reappeared again. A sheepish smile gracing his furred face as he awkwardly scratched his nape. “Sorry about that,” Asriel apologized as he fully opened the door, granting Noir access to his room.

“Wow, your room is way bigger than mine,” Noir was quite impressed as he let his eyes wander across the rather spacious room. “But I get why you’d think mine is more homey. This place feels rather empty, even though you have pretty much everything you could need in here.”

“Originally, Frisk and I were supposed to share a room. But since we’re really not getting along, we now have a separate room each,” sounding enervated, Asriel slouched over to his bed and let himself fall over, another sigh following right after. “That was the best thing that happened in this house so far.”

Even though he was invited inside Noir awkwardly stood in Asriel’s room, uncertain about what to do next. He almost looked like a lost puppy, if it wasn’t for the fact his blank expression looked like it was carved in stone. The corners of his lips always seemed to be in a light frown while his eyes looked like he was done for the day.

“Uhm, so,” trying to somehow reduce the amount of awkwardness that was rapidly piling up, Asriel attempted to strike up a conversation about something, anything that would prevent things from reaching that level of awkwardness everyone dreads. “Do you have any plans for the day?”

“Does playing video games count?” the human asked, his rigid nature more prevalent then ever. Neither seemed to realize they had this conversation just a few minutes ago.

“Yeah, I think it does,” this conversation wasn’t going anywhere, that much was obvious. So Asriel decided that a different approach would be the smartest idea, or he would have if it wasn’t for the fact Noir’s phone began buzzing.

“Looks like I gotta go.” Noir looked up from his phone after typing a quick message. “Mom just texted me. She’s wondering about the hold up.”

“Oh,” seemingly a little saddened, Asriel looked of to the side. “Well, at least let me take you to the door.”

After the quick tour through his room, that wasn’t really a tour but more of a sneak peak, the prince lead his friend downstairs again.

Just as Asriel was about to open the front door, Toriel crept out of whatever room she was hiding in.

“Leaving so soon?” she spoke with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment. “I was just about to make lunch.”

“Yeah, mom texted me. She want’s me home,” Noir was either oblivious to the current situation or he didn’t care. Both are equally possible. 

“Would you like to stay for lunch? I can even drive you home right after,” Once again, Toriel sensed and opportunity to reconnect with her son. 

“Thanks but no thanks. My home is a just a few minutes away and besides. I’m not really hungry anyway,” set in his ways, Noir politely declined the offer and turned his attention back towards Asriel. “See you on Tuesday.”

While Asriel was waving after his friend, Toriel stood there dumbfounded. Her plan crashed before it even had the chance to take off, all because Noir didn’t even consider staying for lunch. But she wouldn’t be able to call herself a real mother if she hadn’t had a plan B.

“So, that was your new friend?” the mother asked in a curious tone, hoping for an answer that was more than just one word but she soon realized that Asriel was already halfway back upstairs. With that, she was not only all out of ideas but also quite frustrated again. All she needed was something to talk about with her son, something he’s interested in.

Once Asriel was back in his room, he began to dig out all those papers he stuffed into his desk and spread them out again. 

The past weeks were spend with scheming, sketching and planning. The countless drafts, diagrams and notes Asriel spread out were living proof of that. Most of them were related to his plan to take back control over his life. Together, they formed what was his supposed master plan. It was far from being complete, seeing that it was still littered with questions marks and side notes, but it was a start.

So far, his plan looked something like this:

_Step 1: See how close I can get to Noir. (Just friends? Committed relationship?)_

_Step 1a: If Noir is not interested in dating, find someone else. (I’ll stick with Noir in the script. Doesn’t matter who I end up with in the end, the plan stays the same.)_

_Step 2: Collect 6 humans SOULs (Donations? Graveyard? Murder?)_

_Step 3: Convince Noir, to give me his SOUL. If needed through ‘gentle‘ persuasion. (SOULs are weird. Forcefully taking his SOUL might break it, so I probably have to coax it out of him. And what if he remembers what I did after the transfer? As long as I don’t outright kill him, I should be able to explain. Best case, he gives up his SOUL willingly.)_

_Step 4: Take control of time, create the perfect timeline and create a monster replica of Noir’s body. (Another weird thing. Creating a functional monster replica of his human body will be complicated, maybe even impossible. Especially if I find myself lacking details. Improvise, or just give him an actual monster body?)_

_Step 5: Place Noir’s SOUL in the body replica. (Don’t even know if that’s possible. Worst case, I break his SOUL. Can’t allow myself to mess that part up.)_

_Step 6: Strip Frisk of their powers and lock them away for all eternity. (Still need a plan for that… Damnit.)_

_Step 7: Life happily ever after. (I wish)_

_I could just get a bunch of SOULs and immediately take control of the timeline, create my perfect partner and call it a day. Don’t really like that idea though. I’d rather have someone that actually loves me, and not someone programmed to do so._

The prince looked over his plan, feeling rather dissatisfied. It lacked something, that something being pretty much everything. Just calling it a plan would be a stretch of the definition, seeing that it is more of a to-do list. What if Frisk resets before Asriel can take control of the timeline and how was he supposed to stop Frisk from resetting in the future? One could say he has all the time in the world, but after an incomprehensible amount of resets his patience was running thin. And so was his sanity. At this point, Asriel was a ticking time bomb ready to go off.

And what about all the other issues he had no solution for? Getting 6 SOULs was the easiest part here, even if it includes murder. How was he supposed to create a human shaped monster body and how was he supposed to make it work in a similar fashion. That monsters take all sorts of different forms and shapes, each working slightly different, was clear to him. But this? This was something entirely else. 

Then there’s the issue about the SOUL transfer. From his time as Flowey and all those times Frisk saved him, he knew it was possible to place a SOUL in an empty vessel. However, there are two things that make this different from the entire Flowey thing.

First, the SOUL that was placed in Asriel’s body was his own. Sure, he did absorb human SOULs as Flowey, but even that was different. Flowey came to live when the flower covered in Asriel’s dust was injecting with determination. 

Second was the fact that the artificial body would be a vessel that is completely devoid of everything. No past, no memories, no personality and definitely no SOUL that has ever been part of it. Just an empty husk created from scratch. There was no way of telling whether it would accept a human SOUL, or any type of SOUL for that matter.

Even if it does accept Noir’s SOUL, there was no way of telling how it might react. Best case scenario would be that is just accepts the SOUL and everything’s fine. But the best case scenario hardly ever occurs. It’s more likely that either the body or SOUL shatters.

Looking over the mess of papers, Asriel began to more and more feel like crying. This wasn’t a plan in any way, shape or form. This was a poor excuse of things that might bring him happiness. How was he supposed to do any of those things without any help and people that will likely work against him? If Sans finds out about this, he’ll make Asriel’s life even more of a hell than it already is. That is under the assumption he doesn’t know already.

Feeling how his thoughts began to twirl into a downward spiral, he gave his plan another, scrutinizing look. He could make this so easy for him by simply going on a killing spree, but there was another thing that might end up complicating things. What if the SOULs he took were to start rebelling against him? How could he forget about that? The rebellion of the six SOULs was the very reason he failed to take control as Flowey. 

Despite having a rough concept of what could be considered a plan, he was still sitting at square one. Knowing his rotten luck though, he probably won’t even need a plan since it wasn’t going to work the way he intended in the first place. It was bound to happen, since everything so far is based on speculation and the hope that Frisk won’t reset until then. 

Exasperated, Asriel got up from his desk. If his plan was bound to fail, he simply needed to plan more, account for every possible variable that may or may not influence his undertaking at some point in time. But how was he supposed to do that? It was impossible to include every possible deviation from his original plan. And on top of that were numerous things that were impossible to influence. No matter how far he would plan ahead, how many things he’d take into consideration, there’s no way for him to account for absolutely everything.

In a sudden fit of rage, Asriel simply grabbed his plan and everything associated with it, and burned it between his hands. Why would he waste hours of precious time creating dumb plans if he could just focus on what’s important right now instead? All he really needed to do was play his cards right and secure the first SOUL he’d need, then work things out form there. This was his new plan. Get a hold on Noir’s SOUL and see how he can use it to affect the next timeline.


End file.
